


Weak Points

by GoddessofAnubis



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Blood, First time writing these characters, Gore, I just really want to break Flug and then make his coworkers fix him okay, M/M, Torture, Violence, graphic depictions of torture and noncon sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 04:41:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11268162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessofAnubis/pseuds/GoddessofAnubis
Summary: Dr. Flug’s a famous scientist, well-known to heroes and villains. He’s also only human, making him the weakest member of Black Hat’s crew. Some try to take advantage of that, wanting Black Hat’s secrets; they made a very grave mistake. [PaperHat]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy my first attempt at writing for this fandom!

      If possible, please support me at my [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/O4O2A5UY) ! It would mean a lot to me!! 

 

 

 

  “Please, _please_ , work!”

  Dr. Flug eyed the device sitting in front of him on the desk nervously. Black Hat would be in the lab any moment now, and this was the fourth test he’d done. The little remote had shattered the first time, smoked and spewed a green smoke the second and short circuited the third. This had to be it, he couldn’t find any other faults with it otherwise and who knew what his boss would do if this failed.

  When he heard footsteps, he winced and finally hit the switch. The light bulb on it lit up green and it remained intact. He nearly fainted in relief. He knew that the disc inside the remote worked, but keeping it on the perfect frequency for the remote was the challenge. He switched it off just as the door to the lab opened, making him tense.

  “Doctor, I trust you have something for me?”

  He tried not to jump. Even expecting Black Hat, he was jumpy and on edge. “Y-yes sir! Just finished, actually!”

  His boss eyed it as Flug offered it. “What does it do?”

  “Oh, uh, this one is the mind control device I mentioned! One flip of the switch and the person the laser is pointed at hears a frequency that-”

  “Does it work?” Black Hat cut him off impatiently.

  He hesitated. “Yes, sir! It, uh, just needs to be pointed at the target directly, no more than seven feet away.”

  The demon (Flug at least _assumed_ he was a demon but he’d never heard Black Hat mention what he was and collecting a sample to examine was a death sentence) made a noise and walked out of the room. Once alone, Flug sighed and collapsed into his chair. At least he wasn’t filming this one, which meant Black Hat was using it on 505. He’d make it up to the bear tomorrow.

  “A break…that’s what I need. Maybe just an hour…”

  He was exhausted and strung out after so long without sleeping. A glance at the computer monitor told him it’d been near four days now. He was tired, sore and just wanted to curl up somewhere. But he knew it wouldn’t be long before he’d receive orders for the next invention and he had to make the most of the time he was given. An hour nap was pushing it already, but he was desperate.

  He began the trek to his room as he pondered the next invention. The last few were selling well. Incredibly well, if Black Hat’s attitude was anything to go by. Flug was used to being threatened and maybe end up bruised, dealing with his boss, but the past few weeks it’d been mostly a glare, a raised hand. Flug knew this was likely the best things would get. With the demon’s temper, it was hard to expect more from him.

  He yawned when he entered his room. He expected dust on his sheets, it’d been so long, but 505 was an excellent maid so everything was crisp and clean. He hesitated at removing his bag; of course he needed to take it off to sleep but so long with it on made it stick slightly. He definitely needed a shower immediately but that wasn’t going to happen. Not with the time restraints he’d likely be put under once Black Hat ordered him back to work.

  “Doctor.”

  He yelped, falling back and missing the bed, colliding painfully against the frame. A man he didn’t recognize stood near the once locked window, pointing what looked like a shotgun at him. “W-who are you?? What are you doing in here?”

  “You don’t recognize me huh?” The man stepped closer, the gun pointed down at Flug. “Fair enough, why know the little guys. But you used my _partner_ in one of your ads and suddenly his nemesis had one of your inventions and guess who’s out of a job now??”

  “L-look, I just…just design what I’m told! I can’t control w-who gets what or what we sell!” Flug tried to explain, waving his hands frantically.

  “Trying to play innocent huh? Honestly, you’re not what I’m after. I want your boss’s head on a spike in my lawn!” The gun was shoved under his chin, making Flug flinch violently. He was shaking, trembling, as he tried to lean as far away from it as possible. “But I’m not an idiot. No one’s ever been able to take down Black Hat for a reason…but then I realized it.”

  Flug wheezed when the gun was pulled away. But he knew it wasn’t over, staring up at the man in front of him. There was a gleam in his pale eyes, something crooked to the way he started grinning. “P-please, it, it doesn’t have to be like this! I can h-help you, or…”

  “Doctor,” the man went on louder, cutting him off. “I do believe unlike that slime ball or the whore, you’re just _human_ aren’t you?”

  He hit the trigger before Flug could react or respond. A large bullet shot out, but rather than piercing through the scientist’s body, it exploded into a net. He tried to scream as it entrapped him, struggling against the heavy rope. Before he could make heads or tails of it though, there was a snap noise and electricity was surged through the strands. Flug couldn’t help screaming in pain as it connected and a moment later he blacked out.

Xxxxxxxx

  **_“FLUG!”_**

  He stormed into the lab, looking over it over critically when he received no response. Odd for the human; Flug was always quick to respond. The human was oddly self-preservative. Or was that normal for humans? He grunted, shaking the thought from his head. Now wasn’t the time. The lab was empty, and he was left wondering where his useless scientist had gone while holding a defective invention.

  “505!” He snarled, and it only took four seconds for the bear to appear. “Where is Flug?”

  The blue bear stared at him in confusion before glancing around the lab as well. He then made a noise of confusion and shook his head. He had no idea, and that made the other hiss through clenched teeth. Twitching, Black Hat gave the lab one last look before snarling under his breath and stomping past the animal. Fine, there were other places Flug could be. Humans tended to eat now and then, he assumed, and maybe he was in his room. But that was odd…Flug was never in his room. Honestly, he considered taking it away from him since he had no use of it.

  “Demencia!” He called in the kitchen, seeing her on top of the fridge. “Have you seen Flug?”

  She froze, blinking as she stared at him before grinning and hopping off the fridge. “Nope! I went into his lab earlier but he wasn’t there.”

  “He wasn’t in the lab earlier either??” He demanded.

  “Nuh uh~ I wanted to sneak in and see what he was up to, but he wasn’t there. I even peeked into his room, but he wasn’t there either.” She shrugged and made for the door to the living room.

  Black Hat let her go, fuming. Had Flug left? Impossible, the house had everything the human needed! He made sure there was food for him, he had a place of rest when required, he even gave him a paycheck. What else could the man need beside that? Eyes narrowing, he snapped his fingers and appeared in the scientist’s room. He paused, glancing at the open window and then at the floorboards next to the bed.

  There were…marks. His eyes flashed as he moved closer, inspecting them. It was burn marks. He could smell the faint smell of burnt wood and something else. Something familiar. Flug was a bit messy, he left his tools out and had a habit of leaving things out of place. But never before had he been clumsy enough to leave permanent marks on anything, especially something that wasn’t his.

  His eye trailed to the window again. Flug would never leave a window open, especially in here, and to have something that smelt vaguely of burnt flesh…Black Hat snapped his fingers again, appearing in his office, and grabbed his phone.

  “Demencia, 505, my office. **_Now_**.”

  They were in his office a moment later. The bear was nervous, glancing around the room and seemingly upset that Flug wasn’t there. Demencia just grinned, batting her eyelids at him. He ignored it.

  “Flug has been taken from us.” He stated bluntly.

  “Wha-” Demencia paused, smile dropping. “Taken?? From _here_? How?! He never leaves that lab of his, like, ever and no one’s stupid enough to waltz in here and kidnap someone.”

  505 made a noise of distress. Black Hat began tapping his claws on the desk. “Indeed, we thought that. However it seems we were wrong. Flug wouldn’t have just left and there was evidence of tampering in his room. But who would be foolish enough to steal from _me_??”

  He slammed a fist down on the desk. Both his lackeys jumped at the noise. He snarled and tried to get his temper back in check but he’d never been forced to deal with something like this. Someone foolish enough to _steal_ from him? Maybe one of his clients, a jealous buyer? No, they weren’t that dumb. They’d be an obvious choice.

  “It’d have to be a hero, right?” Demencia said hesitantly. She looked oddly focused. “They’re the only ones stupid enough to pull a stunt like this on you. Oh! Maybe they wanted him gone so no one can buy our inventions!”

  505 nodded frantically. He whined and motioned for the door. Black Hat’s eyes narrowed in response as he thought. He obviously needed to find Flug. The human was quite the asset, whether he acknowledged that or not, and he also knew a great deal about how Black Hat Inc worked. He was a liability in the hands of a hero. But more than that, Black Hat was enraged at the idea that someone assumed that could just take something that belonged to him.

  _Him_! Black Hat, the greatest, strongest, most evil villain this world would ever see!

  “I expect we’ll receive either some kind of ransom note soon or maybe a challenge to get him back.” He mused, managing to keep his voice calm. “If either of you see anything, you’re to inform me immediately.”

  Demencia frowned. “That’s it?? We just wait on them to contact us?”

  “You have a better idea?” He demanded.

  “Well, let’s go out there! Make a video demanding him back or else we start dismantling the city! Start blowing things up!” She grinned and slammed her fist into her palm. “Make everyone demand this hero asshole give back our scientist before we start getting _serious_.”

  Black Hat paused. “That’s…quite the idea there, Demencia.”

  It honestly was a good idea. And he always loved causing the simple-minded humans to turn on their ridiculous heroes. He grinned at the thought, making the girl giggle and lean against his desk. He stood up and motioned for the two to leave.

  “Start with something simple. Like…oh, what do humans notice? A restaurant? They need things like hospitals, right?” She shrugged. “Damn. Save the hospital destruction for later then. I’ll go make a video now. If either of you see anything, any sign of Flug, you return here and tell me. Got it?”

  Demencia saluted him as 505 nodded frantically. The two left in a hurry and Black Hat took a moment to compose himself. He hoped they could force the kidnapper’s hand. He didn’t like waiting for someone else to make a move, especially when he didn’t know what shape Flug was in. Without noticing, his hands clenched instinctively at the idea and he left deep claw marks into the surface of his desk.

  If so much as a thread was misplaced on Flug’s clothes…Someone would lose their internal organs.

Xxxxxxx

  When Flug woke up, he was forcibly aware that he was tied up. He groaned, trying to tug on whatever had him and heard the clinking of chains. It kept his hands over his head, crisscrossed painfully over each other, and they were tight against the wall. His legs were free, and once he managed to pull himself up, got into a less uncomfortable position. His head was pounding behind his eyes and after a moment he realized someone had removed his goggles and bag.

  “Good morning, Doctor! How are you feeling?”

  He looked up slowly, eyes narrowed as he struggled to see the man in front of him. He could barely make out bars around him, cement floors and walls. Likely a basement then, since the only light was an overhead lightbulb. He struggled to see the man since his vision was terrible without his goggles, he was barely a form of colors, but he bared his teeth and refused to answer.

  “I wondered if you wore the bag as part of hiding your identity, but imagine my surprise when I take it off and see _this_.”

  He motioned, likely to his face. Flug refused to break eye contact. He was meek most times and he knew he was a bit of a scaredy-cat but he was pissed off and annoyed. He was kidnapped, attacked, sore and strung up because this person thought he was a weak link in the group. And he refused to be so; his job sucked most days and Black Hat wasn’t the kindest of bosses, but he refused to turn on him.

  The man hummed and stepped forward. “Not much of a talker huh? Or perhaps you think you suddenly grew a backbone?”

  Flug flinched when he moved closer, seeing movement in his peripheral. He hissed as the man put his goggles back on, making him blink as his eyes adjusted. The man grinned at him, showing off his overly white teeth and pale blue eyes. He was almost unhealthily pale with carefully gelled brown hair. The scientist eyed his clothes, yellow and blue, with a symbol on his chest.

  “Skyman? But he…” Flug whispered to himself before stiffening.

  “Died? Oh yes. I believe you advertised your device as…oh, how did you put it? Shrinking down anything that gets in your way? Well, your invention, Dr. Flug, worked excellently! I’m sure you and your boss are proud.”

  Flug swallowed the lump in his throat. “I told you, I only make w-what Black Hat tells me to. And, and there were tons of people who bought that device! Kidnapping me won’t solve anything.”

  The hero he now recognized as Lightning ignored him. “Did you know that Skyman was well known for his strength? So even once he was shrunk down, he still could struggle. But it had to give out eventually…Do you know what sound he made when he was crushed under some grunt’s boot? Not even his most hated enemy, but some **grunt** killed him!”

  Small bursts of electricity shot off him as his voice got louder. Flug tried to wince away. He’d had one too many encounters with electricity and it had left the large burnt scars on the left half of his face. But a beat later, the man took in a deep breath and smoothed back his hair with an almost sheepish grin.

  “Forgive me, that was…uncalled for. One of us needs to be professional.” He cleared his throat and left the cell to a nearby table. “Well, I have to admit that even if you don’t know what a human being being crushed to death sounds like, it has…haunted me. Every day I hear those noises, Doctor, and the scene returns to me at night. Even when I found the grunt and his boss and watched them die, it kept coming back. That’s when I decided I’d go for Black Hat…”

  He grabbed something from the table. Flug eyed his back wearily and tensed when he saw what was in his hand. He couldn’t rip his eyes away as Lightning walked back over, needlessly closing the cell door behind him. He bit his lip as the small object was waved in front of his eyes.

  “I assume you know what this is, Dr. Flug, since your kind seems to get off to this ugly sadistic torture. But just in case, this is a thumbscrew! If you don’t tell me what I want, I’ll be forced to put your fingers in here and break each and everyone one of them. I’d rather not do that, it’s messy, but this is what your foul boss has forced me to.”

  Flug shook his head. “I don’t know anything!”

  “I’ll be the judge of that. Now, Doctor, first question: does Black Hat need sleep or food?”

  It was a weird question. Likely harmless. Lightning couldn’t possibly use that knowledge against Black Hat. But Flug swallowed and shrugged. Of course his boss didn’t need those human things. He’d been both annoyed and surprised when Flug had told him those were required for himself and had only reluctantly gave Flug a room and bed and had 505 start ordering groceries. That in itself had been something else.

  Lightning raised an eyebrow, kneeling in front of the scientist. “Your loyalty is misplaced, you know. Black Hat won’t protect you, since you’re already here, and you know he won’t be coming to your rescue. You’ll be replaced before the end of the night.”

  “I d-don’t know! He, he never eats around the rest of us!” Flug stammered out. It was true; Black Hat disappeared into his room at dinner once he, Demencia and 505 starting eating together.

  “…Fine. I’ll accept that. Next question then, what are the extent of his powers?” The brown haired man went on.

  “Y-you really think he’d trust anybody with, with that information?? You’ve seen the videos! He’s…j-just out for himself and we’re just tools for him.” He spat out quickly, eyes unable to leave the torture device in the man’s hand. “You s-said it yourself, I’ll be replaced.”

  He wasn’t sure if he believed that. While Black Hat was selfish and could get physical with him, he was also very careful of Flug’s limitations. He wasn’t sure if the demon...monster…whatever he was felt compassion for his employee’s but he liked to think he was at least partially fond of them. They all had quirks that were grating and yet Black Hat never seemed that bothered. Most of the time.

  He had to like them a little. Else why did he keep putting up with them all? Demencia’s constant flirting and wrecking everything she could get her hands on, 505 being so passive and genuinely unable to hurt a fly and Flug’s lack of insight when inventing or thinking a plan through. He might yell at them but he never fired them or hurt them in permanent ways.

  “But you’ve seen some of those powers. Now tell me what ones you know of.” Lightning cut his thoughts off, glaring at him.

  “I…I can’t.” He whispered pleadingly.

  “Oh, you can, Doctor. You just don’t want to.”

  He got back to his feet and locked the cell door. Flug winced and realized what he was doing. He tried to beg him not to, but his mouth wasn’t working properly. His tongue felt too heavy. So instead he bit it and tried to keep his pleading silent as his cuffed hands were freed and his left hand grabbed into a bruising grip.

  “Forgive me then, Dr. Flug, because this won’t be pleasant.” Lightning mused easily as he recuffed his right wrist.

  His pointer and middle finger were forced into the vice. He struggled, trying to pull away and kick at the supposed hero, but he actions barely affected Lightning. It was like hitting a brick wall. He wracked his brain for ideas; everyone hero had some kind of weakness. But he had no idea for Skyman and Lightning. They were popular heroes but not ones in the nearby neighborhood. So Flug was left with no idea what to do but watch as he began fiddling with the wheel.

  “There are spikes on the inside. As I crush your bones between the metal, the spikes will dig through your nails into your fingers. Normally I’m against such torture, Dr. Flug, but your boss has pushed me to the breaking point.” He mused softly as he turned it.

  “Y-you’re no better than Black Hat.” He wheezed out when he felt the spikes against his nails, easily piercing his rubber gloves.

  That made the man pause. His pale eyes ran over to the table, inspecting it a moment before he chuckled and turned back to Flug. There was something in the way he smiled that made the scientist flinch. His eyes were akin to stone as his unhinged smile grew into something vicious.

  “Oh Doctor.” He whispered, eyes shining with some kind of electric glint. “I do believe I can live with that.”

  He began twisting it. Flug winced as the metal began closing in, the spikes insistently pressing against his nails. But it didn’t stop. The brown haired man kept turning the valve and the uncomfortable feeling slowly turned painful. He gasped, wincing and trying to pull away again. He wished he had on his bag as he bit into his lip to desperately clamp down the noises threatening to come out until the moment the spike broke through his nails. He screamed then, vision going red and maybe white as he struggled.

  “STOP! Please, _please_ enough!” He sobbed as blood ran down his wrists and into his coat sleeves.

  “Tell me about Black Hat’s powers and I’ll stop.” Lightning sneered at him.

  He shook his head. “No m-more please, I can’t tell you, please!”

  “Then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

  He kept twisting the valve. Somehow the pain worsened as the screws kept digging deeper through his fingers, the pads squeezed between the metal. But that was nothing compared to the screws as they broke and shattered his nails and pierced through his skin. Flug was sure he was screaming but he couldn’t hear it. Black dots were littering his view as he struggled and he felt a rush of nausea that made him gag.

  “One would think you’d be adjusted to pain.” The hero mused.

  Flug whined as he let go of the torture device. He couldn’t help but cradle his hand to his chest, blood matting his coat as he sobbed. With his other hand cuffed he couldn’t get the vice off, but he wasn’t sure he’d want it off anyway. He didn’t want to see the aftermath.

  “I hope you have a strong stomach, Dr. Flug. Because we’re only just starting.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh wow, was not expecting such a huge positive feedback to this o.o Thank you everyone! Glad you enjoyed this lil fic, and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter~ I promise the healing will begin soon.

  “ ** _Nothing?!_** Nothing for two weeks? What have you two been doing out there??”

  Demencia frowned, the tip of her shoe digging into the carpet. “We’re doing exactly what we said! We’ve been going after the restaurants, City Hall, I even got 505 to help me hold up a hospital!”

  The blue bear nodded sadly, looking ashamed. Black Hat hissed and tapped his fingertips against his desk. “And none of them had any ideas??”

  “I’ve been keeping an eye on the news every day! People are begging we get Flug back but nothing!”

  The eldritch creature snarled and slammed his hands down. “That’s _it_! I’m going out there.”

  He straightened his gloves and stood up, glaring at nothing. He paused only when Demencia didn’t step to the side out of his way. She stared at the carpet still, looking tired. She normally was always perky and loud, but he noticed bags under her eyes. Then again, she’d been out there in the city nonstop these past two weeks. They’d even put their business on hold since nothing could get done without Flug anyway.

  “He’s gonna be fine, right?” She asked softly.

  He hesitated. “Flug is human.”

  “Sure, but he’s always…y’know, putting up with us. He’d never gotten seriously hurt here, so he’s gotta be tough, right? Even by human standards? They can’t like, seriously hurt him or kill him, right??”

  She sounded desperate. 505 whined and put a paw on her shoulder, and she didn’t shrug it off. That in itself was odd. Black Hat considered her, wondering what he should say. He wasn’t one to be hopeful, and he certainly wasn’t compassionate enough to reassure her Flug was fine when there was a chance he wasn’t. But he felt odd about seeing her so despondent.

  “We have to be prepared for anything.” He finally said slowly. “Even if it’s finding a replacement.”

  She whined, hands clenching into fists around her skirt. “But that’s…”

  “However,” She glanced up at him as his eye narrowed. “We will not be letting such a trespass go against us. So we need to find whoever took him and find out just what kind of revenge we’ll be getting.”

  That perked her up slightly. A fire returned to her eyes as she nodded dutifully. “We’ll go out again. I’m grabbing Flug’s Shrink Ray and bringing it with me, maybe a stampede of giant black widows will get them to hurry their asses up!”

  She ran out immediately. 505 whined and went to follow her, only to pause when Black Hat made a noise to get his attention.

  “Make sure she’s taken care of.”

  The bear looked surprised before deadpanning. Black Hat rolled his eyes.

  “Yes, I KNOW how she is but still. I can’t have her exhausted once we get the fucking useless brat back and have to get back to work. So make sure she’s not running herself empty. Got it?”

  He nodded and left. Watching the animal leave, Black Hat straightened his jacket and with a snap of his fingers, was gone. He had a few sources he would be checking in on; if anyone knew any shady hero business like this, they’d be it.

Xxxxxx

  Flug had no idea how long he’d been here. He had no way of knowing what time it was, and no windows to show if it was night or day. He tried measuring his time spent as a hostage by what Lightning did to him instead, staring at his growing wounds with a detached sense of curiosity. Beside the now useless two fingers that were bandaged up rather poorly and were stained with blood and tissue, the hero had been quite busy with the scientist.

  After the thumbscrews hadn’t gotten him the answers he wanted, Lightning had moved on to other devices, such as water torture, slowly twisting his feet in the wrong direction (his left was definitely broken, it was almost backwards), electrotherapy that Lightning himself executed with his powers, and had started a makeshift operation of cutting open his stomach to count his organs. He had been stopped by something with the last one, luckily. Most of his memories were a haze of pain and screaming at this point, but he was proud that never once had he given in. He never told the man any information he wanted, and he could tell the hero was growing desperate.

  Curled up in a heap in the corner, the scientist liked to think he was handling himself well. He barely reacted anymore to the torture or the man’s goading. The nice thing about Lightning’s lack of patience was eventually, the pain blended together. He didn’t need to worry that he’d never be able to walk after this in the constant agony, or that his fingers were likely rotting, or even that he was going to die here. There was no time in the haze.

  He was okay with the fact that his boss hadn’t rescued him. Knowing Black Hat, he’d likely already moved on to someone else working for him by now. He would’ve assumed Flug had taken off on his own, frightened off by the deadlines and threats. The only person who’d honestly miss him was 505 since he looked after the bear and protected him from their boss but hopefully he wouldn’t get rid of him now that Flug wasn’t around.

  If he was lucky, he mused to himself almost drunkenly, maybe he could drift off to sleep and then he’d die. That sounded nice…

  “Doctor.”

  He liked the idea of dying in his sleep. In his line of business, there were no guarantees about how one went out. So if that happened to him he would consider himself lucky.

  “Doctor!”

  He blinked almost sleepily and managed to look up. Lightning stared at him, eyes narrowed. He looked different than the past few days. His eyes were almost bloodshot and his carefully gelled hair was falling in his face. Flug would’ve laughed if he remembered how to.

  “As you might be able to tell, we’re running out of time to get to know each other.” The hero went on, opening the cell and storming in. “I guess it’s my own fault. I’ve been too nice…I’ve been reluctant to get to the point of all this. But I can’t play with you any longer and risk having Black Hat find me.”

  He wanted to be upset. This was the man being too nice? A broken ankle, two fingers he’d likely never be able to use again and even if he wasn’t dying from starvation and likely sickness from the cold water torture, he knew he’d never be the same as before. But he was too exhausted and just stared at the hero.

  “I’ll give you props, Dr. Flug. I never expected a useless human scientist would give me such trouble. Two weeks wasted and still I have no idea how to kill Black Hat!”

  He began pacing. Flug watched him as best he could. One of his goggle lens had a large crack through it that made seeing difficult. But he was glad that his bag wasn’t on; he couldn’t imagine the shape it’d be in with his matted, dirty hair and constant screams and tears.

  Wait, it had…only been two weeks? That seemed impossible.

  He was brought back from his thoughts by Lightning leaning too close, grabbing his shoulders. Flug was forced out of his curled up position and laid on his back as his hands moved to wrap themselves around his neck. He wished he could say he was surprised. Lightning looked pleased as he grinned down at him, straddling the scientist as his hands tightened threateningly.

  “It seems too easy…too fast. You deserve so much worse! You disgusting people that follow in evil’s shadows pretending nothing affects you, that you aren’t as bad as them. Maybe I should just leave you here. If your boss doesn’t come after me, you’ll die on your own here, forgotten, like you deserve.”

  He didn’t respond. His throat was too torn up to honestly argue anymore. After the electrocution, he had trouble speaking. Even if he wanted to spew every Black Hat Inc secret he had, he couldn’t physically do it anymore. But that made him feel better, that he couldn’t make the torture mean nothing by breaking.

  “…What if I fried your heart? Assuming of course, that you have one. We never got to do our special surgery, so maybe I should rip your ribs apart and force you to watch as your heart bursts in my hands.”

  Flug watched, detached, as the tattered remains of his clothes were ripped off. Lightning ran a finger down his chest and paused at his sternum. His blue eyes were oddly focused when he stopped. Part of Flug hoped he’d just plunge his hand into his chest and kill him. What was a little more pain, if it meant the constant agony ended?

  He paused when the touch started up again. Only this time, Lightning’s fingers kept moving down his chest and paused at the top of his jeans. Confused, Flug stared up at the man. His bloodshot eyes were moving around, looking at something on him. And then the hand left around his throat was gone, pulling at the zipper of his jeans, and Flug was left confused.

  What was he doing? Was he trying to embarrass him? Flug was so far beyond that. Even as his jeans and boxers were pulled down around his knees, leaving him naked on the cold cement floor. Lightning eyed him curiously before reaching out, forcing him on his stomach. That’s when it began clicking slowly in his brain as Lightning positioned himself behind him, hearing the rustling of clothes.

  “S-stoo…” He coughed, trying to get his throat to work. “Stop…”

  “You’ve done nothing but be a nuisance. What would anyone care if I…” The hero rambled to himself softly, Flug only hearing him because he was so close. “I…I deserve this. With the way you trail after your boss, he probably fucks you all the time right? You’re going to die anyway…”

  Hearing him justify what he was about to do made Flug sick to his stomach. But there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t struggle anymore, he barely could lift his head to keep his cheek from grating against the cement. His sensitive scar tissue on his cheek kept rubbing and catching, making his face sting. He could only lay there, eyes clenched shut as he hoped the man wouldn’t go through with this.

  He jumped when something wet poked at his entrance. It was such a foreign feeling, and part of his brain struggled to comprehend what it meant. He was only slightly relieved to find it was a finger, the man’s gloves feeling odd against his skin. It was damp with what he guessed was saliva, but that wasn’t enough to ease the entry as the digit was forced into his body.

  “How are you so tight?? You can’t tell me you haven’t whored yourself out to those disgusting friends of yours.”

  If he hadn’t been constantly spitting insults since capturing him, Flug might’ve taken those words to heart. He could barely handle being in the same room as Black Hat when filming, why did Lightning assume they had sex?? It was such a ridiculous notion. He wanted to tell him that he was insane.

  He managed to yelp when his finger became more insistent. It forced its way deeper into his body, curling slightly. It made Flug feel a spark of something besides pain and that was worse. He groaned when Lightning removed his finger, trying not to sigh in relief. It was about to get worse but as long as it was painful he could handle it.

  One of the hero’s hands gripped his hip, angling him. Flug dug his fingertips into the cement floor, sending a wave of sharp pain through his bandaged fingers. He gasped when he felt the blunt tip against his skin, Lightning was pressing it against the skin above his anus as he shifted. He heard the man grunt above him and then he shoved his cock into the scientist dry.

  A strangled sound escaped his throat. It was like being ripped at the seams. Pain shot up his spine, made worse by the moan of pleasure against his ear. Spots were popping in front of his eyes. He struggled to breathe as the man above him kept pushing in until he bottomed out, tip rubbing at some nerve inside of him that made Flug twitch and warm slightly.

  Lightning chuckled above him, the vibrations making the warmth increase in Flug’s stomach. “You’re squeezing me, it’s…like a vice. H-heh, it feels like your body is pulling me deeper. Even your insides know you deserve this.”

  Flug wanted to argue. There was biology and physics involved but he knew it was useless even if he could speak. The man just wanted to lash out at him even now. He wanted to keep hurting him even as he raped him. He groaned as he felt the man moving, both hands now gripping Flug’s hips and then he slowly pulled out. It felt odd, skin catching on skin and scrapping against parts of him. When only the tip of his head remained, Lightning thrust back in.

  A wheeze left his mouth that time. The hero was thrusting with slow, deep movements. He seemed to be getting a feel for how it felt, ignoring the soft pained grunts Flug was giving under him. Every grind inside was a forceful exhale, each roll of his hips made the scientist question if he could handle this new layer of pain. It was unlike the agony he’d felt before, so deep inside his body. And it only got worse when the man began moving faster, panting into his ear, grip tightening and bruising his hips.

  It became apparent that he was little more than a large toy. Lightning’s movements were rough, centered around his own pleasure. Flug honestly preferred it that way; he didn’t know if he could handle enjoying this on top of everything else. He already felt dirty enough. But thankfully there was nothing but pain and sharp stinging as the hero fucked him harder.

  The brown haired man snarled something indecipherable. The hands on his hips moved, one grabbing his thigh and spreading his leg awkwardly, until the smaller man was putting his entire weight on his chest, and the other gripped his matted hair. Flug barely managed to suck in a breath before Lightning was pressing him cheek-first into the cement. When he tried to raise his head again, the handful of hair the hero had tightened and pressed him harder against the floor.

  “It’s s-so nice to not…have to hold back. Humans are so fragile, I always…hurt them if I’m not careful. But what does it matter if you break?” He was cut off by his own moan. “F-fuck, Doctor…!”

  His thrusts became faster. Inhuman. Flug tried to scream but his voice caught in his throat. He heard and felt bones grinding, under the onslaught of the man’s strength. He couldn’t stop himself from sobbing. He didn’t want to give him the satisfaction but there was no stopping it once Lightning stopped holding back. Every thrust caused him to jerk and a new wave of pain, every hiss between his clenched teeth caused small bursts of electricity to flow from his fingertips and causing red marks on Flug’s skin.

  He couldn’t stop the scream when there was a _snap_. He heard the man laughing above him but it seemed so far away. His hip…he had literally broken his hip by fucking him. The scientist somehow managed to feel mortified besides everything that he’d been through. And of course Lightning didn’t stop, he was rutting desperately into him until Flug saw black.

  As he fainted, he felt oddly relieved that at least he didn’t have to suffer through the feeling of his cum staining his insides on top of everything else.

Xxxxx

  “Are you sure about this?? The place is pretty empty.” Demencia pointed out, trailing behind Black Hat as they walked through a large warehouse.

  He grunted. Demencia pouted but didn’t push. They were all on edge. The idea that someone could waltz into their lair and just…steal Flug was off-putting. And not knowing if he was okay or alive made her feel oddly twitchy. She honestly missed him these past two weeks. The lab was so silent, and eating dinner with just 505 felt wrong. It didn’t help that the bear would whine and whimper as he stared at Flug’s empty seat.

  “We goin’ in like usual?” She asked instead.

  “Make sure you keep someone alive. Just in case.” Black Hat responded disinterestedly.

  She grinned. “Ya got it, boss~”

  She took off ahead of him. Now alone, Black Hat paused just long enough to hear her sneak up on what sounded like a group of five. They started screaming by the time he turned himself into what looked like smoke and eased himself through the floors. He knew there was an underground area; this had once been the hideout of a client until they sold it. And it was their only lead.

  Skyman’s ridiculously obnoxious logo was hard to not notice, when one of his lackey’s approached a supervillain about using their hideout. Black Hat would’ve gritted his teeth if he still had teeth then. His dignity would suffer if someone as simple-minded and weak as that useless waste of organs was the one to steal Flug from under his own nose.

  He found the basement empty but it reeked. He formed into a solid mass as he sniffed the air. Something had been cut open; it was the only way to explain the amount of blood that had to be spilled to cause such a stink. And there was that burnt skin smell of cooked human flesh. His hands clenched into fists. He’d been on the right track then, it was the same smell from Flug’s room, but it looked like they’d arrived too late-

  Someone sobbed.

  He didn’t run over to the cell, but his pace might have been hurried. He froze upon his gaze landing on the curled up form laid out on the floor; his brain whispered that this couldn’t be Flug despite his senses knowing the human immediately. His bag was gone, goggles laying nearby, cracked and broken, from where he had tried to crawl under the cot. He’d curled up into a fetal position but Black Hat could still see the way his left foot was at an odd angle, the bloody bandages on his fingers that smelled of infection and decay. His breathing was rough, a wheeze and cough lingering with each push of his lungs.

  But the worse thing was seeing the obvious signs of the other kind of abuse. The hand prints on his hips, thighs, nail marks on his side and teeth imprints around his shoulder. Black Hat stared a moment and felt a rage unlike any other forming in his chest. How… ** _dare_** they. And they were gone, left Flug here to die before he could catch up. He wanted to snarl and chase after them, but the human in front of him was still sobbing and hadn’t seemed to realize he was even there.

  He pulled out his phone. “Demencia, I need names from whoever’s alive. By any means necessary.”

  He hung up on her before she could ask. Slowly he approached Flug, trying to make sure he noticed him but the human was too caught up in his weak cries. Even when Black Hat finally knelt beside him, the scientist stared past him without seeing him.

  “Flug, can you speak?” He finally asked, gently but firmly.

  Flug paused, wheezing oddly. Black Had decided to take that as a no then. He began to reach out for him but stopped immediately when Flug flinched away. He had to know it was him now, right? Irritation began seeping in but he struggled to control himself. Humans were fragile he told himself.

  “I can numb it until we get you back. But I have to touch you.” He explained in the same tone.

  This time he continued even when the human flinched. A brush of his gloves against Flug’s arm, causing him to try to yell and jerk away. But it was enough, his powers encasing Flug and causing the nerves in his brain to halt in sending the pain sensors from shooting. Content in that at least Flug wouldn’t feel anymore unnecessary pain in moving him, Black Hat removed his jacket and draped it over him. He then carefully picked him up into his tentacles. He felt Flug struggling against the hold, likely afraid, but he kept his hold tight so he couldn’t cause any more damage to himself.

  He teleported them upstairs as he began texting a message to 505 about readying a medical area for Flug. He glanced up from his phone when he felt the human had stopped struggling, hugging his jacket close over his naked form.

  “…b-bo…ss?”

  “Who else would come all this way?” He asked in an offhand manner, eyeing him carefully. “I think it’s about time we got you back, don’t you think?”

  Flug whimpered, but it didn’t sound like those weak, helpless sobs from the basement. “P- _please_ …”

  “Let’s grab Demencia then. Hopefully she’s finished playing with the leftovers.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Also I appreciate comments on how you think things are progressing. Am I rushing Flug? Writing the characters weird? Please let me know <3

  Flug woke up confused. He expected to wake up on the cement floor, in agony and writhing, with Lightning either strangling him or the aftermath of what he’d done. Granted he felt disgusting. He felt sweat and dirt all over, blood and tears, and there was something that had dried between his thighs that he didn’t want to think about. But the pain was gone completely when he managed to open his eyes.

  He couldn’t see, his goggles still not around his head. And when he tried to shift, he couldn’t. He couldn’t move at all. Was he paralyzed? He tried again, but nothing could move. But this time he heard grumbling and something moved in his vision. He flinched back, surprised when the dark blur stopped before continuing. His cracked goggles were pressed to his face.

  “Stop wiggling around, unless you’d prefer I drop you and let you walk on your own.”

  He looked up once the strap was fit around his head. “Boss…?”

  The dark demon glanced at him, arms crossed. “Doctor. Glad you’re finally coherent.”

  Flug blinked. Was he…dreaming? A hallucination? He looked himself over, seeing his boss’s coat wrapped around his naked form and he was held still by black tendrils. That explained why he couldn’t move then. He swallowed hard, realizing he could speak again, likely from the lack of feeling pain.

  “Where…?”

  He winced when there was screaming. For once, it wasn’t from him. He looked over and saw Demencia giggling as she raked her nails through a man’s chest. He looked away, stomach rolling at the blood. Even before this he wasn’t a fan of torture and blood, and now he certainly couldn’t stomach it.

  “I told you everything I know, please!”

  “Nuh uh uh~ Not until you beg me to stop! And then when I don’t, I want you to cry.” She cooed at him, grinning.

  “Tell me, Doctor.” Black Hat suddenly spoke up, staring at the scene in a bored manner. “Do you know this man?”

  Flug weakly shook his head. “Only their…leader.”

  “Was it that worthless, do-gooder Lightning as he says? Was he the one that did… _this_ to you?” His boss went on, motioning to his body.

  He hesitated before nodding, unable to help the wince at hearing the man’s name. Black Hat gritted his teeth but hummed and stepped forward. “Demencia, just end the useless peasant. We have things to do.”

  She looked up and pouted, but perked up when she saw that Flug was awake. “Flug!”

  She snapped the man’s neck without looking and ran over. He tensed, waiting for poking and prodding but was thankful when Black Hat grabbed her by the hood before she managed to get to him. She whined, pouting, but with the two of them in his grip, the grey-skinned demon snapped his fingers and they were suddenly in the lab.

  “Hands off. I see you putting a hand on him and I’ll rip your arms off. Now get 505 in here before I do so anyway.” He snarled at her.

  She perked up at the order and saluted him. “On it!”

  She ran out the door immediately. Flug watched her go, feeling odd. He was…really back? He was free? It seemed so unlikely. He’d been in pain for so long. And he knew he wasn’t better. He could see under the coat where the bruises and scrapes and marks were. His leg was still the wrong way and his fingers bandaged. How were they going to help him?

  “Do you know the extent of your injuries?” Black Hat asked him as he carefully laid him on one of his metal workbenches. He then hesitated, looking oddly uncomfortable. “I saw…some of them. I did not allow Demencia to see, and if you’d prefer, we can keep it from 505.”

Flug winced, looking down at himself. There were fingerprint bruises all over his hips and thighs. It was so obvious what had happened. Now that he knew he’d survive, the humiliation was at the forefront of his mind. What did his boss think? Being kidnapped so easily, beaten and tortured, raped by the enemy, he had to think Flug was useless and weak. What villain was molested by a hero??

  “P-please…” He begged softly, cringing.

  His boss nodded and with a wave of his hand, they and the worktable were surrounded by dark red curtains. The table itself turned into a stretcher, a blanket covering the scientist bruised and bloodied body and jacket appearing in Black Hat’s hands. He eyed disdainfully before snapping his fingers and it appeared back on him, clean and pressed.

  “T-thank you, sir.” He managed, unable to help but relax against the soft surface.

  “Now, your injuries.” He repeated impatiently.

  He tried to think, suddenly exhausted. “F-fingers and nails, thumbscrew…uh, my leg and um…throat. E-everything else is…”

  Black Hat eyed him critically, pausing only when he heard the door to the lab opening. “505, get the Doctor something he can eat and medicine. Like….blast, what do you humans need?”

  Despite the strange situation and the panic Flug felt tightening in his chest, he managed a choked laugh. “S-soup or…oatmeal. A-and some…orange juice to b-boost my immune system. May, maybe the medicine in my bathroom as well, 505.”

  He heard the bear make a noise and leave. And then he heard the familiar skittering noise of Demencia as she scaled the walls. He sent a panicked look at his boss but the demon was already glaring up at the ceiling. He scuffed.

  “Ignore her, she won’t be able to get in. Do you have anything for the pain? My powers will run out eventually and the pain will return.”

  So that’s why he wasn’t feeling anything. He nodded. “In, in the top…d-drawer. My main desk.”

  Black Hat nodded. He then left the area, grumbling something at Demencia when she gasped and cooed at him. Flug sighed. Now that he was alone, the panic lessened slightly. He couldn’t help but feel at ease on his own. That meant no torture. No more pain on top of everything else. His eyes drifted closed without realizing it.

  “Flug, you-”

  Black Hat froze upon pushing the curtain aside, realizing that the human had fallen asleep. He wondered if he should wake him, there were more questions that needed answering and he needed to take the medicine so he wouldn’t hurt once he awoke with his powers having run out. But the human was so tense when awake, twitchy and nervous. And it was…nice to see him calm and at ease in his sleep.

  “Why can’t I come in?? I wanna see him too!” Demencia complained from the other side of the curtain. “Stop hogging him!”

  “He’s resting.” He spat at her angrily. “Let him sleep.”

  She groaned. “He was sleeping before! How can he need more sleep?”

  “What part of _human_ do you not understand??” He snarled.

  Flug shifted and despite himself, Black Hat’s mouth clamped shut. He then sighed. He was getting soft. A few centuries ago, this would’ve never happened. He wouldn’t have minions for some wayward hero to kidnap, and he certainly wouldn’t be here nursing them back to health. He glanced at Flug’s scarred face. He knew of the man’s scars but had never seen them. Was this the cause of his nervousness?

  He left the small curtained area and headed for the scientist’s nearby cabinet. Demencia trailed after him curiously but he ignored her. Third drawer down he found extra bags, already pre-cut with eyeholes. He heard the girl snort out a laugh before freezing.

  “Wait…I saw Flug’s face and I didn’t _look_?!” She looked honestly distressed. “Aw man…I’ll never have another chance again.”

  Despite himself, Black Hat rolled his eye at her. “Go do something useful, like prepping to find that half-baked hero!”

  She paused. “Lightning got away?”

  “Of course, else I would’ve been peeling the skin from his muscles at this very moment! Now go get ready. I may even allow you to hold him up for me.”

  Demencia growled and glared at nothing. “Can I at least tear open his spleen??”

  “Potentially. Now get.” He ordered.

  She hissed, a forked tongue peeking between her teeth before she ran out the lab. Again. The eldritch demon huffed and grabbed a bag before returning to Flug. He carefully pulled it on the human’s head and looked over his cracked goggles. He remembered something about his sight being imperfect, needing these gaudy things. Glancing at Flug’s now hidden face, he sighed and the goggles repaired in his hands.

  “Tch. You owe me for the rest of your mortal life with all these favors…” He grumbled to himself before disappearing.

Xxxxxx

  Flug woke up with a strangled cry, interrupted by a wet coughing fit. It took a few moments before it passed, and he fell back against the bed in exhaustion. He was confused when he realized there was something on his head, brow furrowed as he reached up and felt the long-missed feeling of a paper bag. It was so…odd, to have such a feeling back.

  It was too normal. And after the nightmare he’d woken from, feeling Lightning’s hands on his body, forcing pleasure out of him, torturing him again, it felt wrong. He almost sobbed, but the sound of a door kept him from doing so. There were heavy steps that made his stomach flip oddly, suddenly anxious that this was all a dying hallucination and Lightning would pull back the curtain to mock him.

  He jumped when a large blue paw came from around it instead, offering a tray of soup and a cup of orange juice with a small plastic cup of pills to the side. Of course. He’d forgotten about 505 getting him food. His stomach rolled as he took the tray from the bear, relieved that he didn’t try to peek in. He mumbled something like a ‘thank you’ but was staring intently at the food in front of him.

  He hadn’t eaten in two weeks. He got what he assumed was dirty water now and then, but it left him weak. Even if he wasn’t just a human, it seemed like they didn’t want him fighting back. Flug wanted to be ecstatic that he could eat again. 505 was a good enough cook, and a fast learner so each meal was better than the last. But he was feeling sick looking at the simple soup.

  His stomach had shrunk. His body had adapted to the lack of food. It was a simple explanation. And now with food here, he was struggling. Sighing, Flug drank the juice and swallowed down the pills. But those weren’t good on an empty stomach, so he needed to eat…With shaking hands, he began slowly sipping the soup. He heard the bear pacing around in his lab as he tried to swallow down at least half the bowl. But he was already full, so he just sighed and drank the rest of the juice.

  “Finished, 505. Could you take this?” He asked, holding out the tray with shaking hands.

  The bear cooed and took it. Flug waited for him to leave but then the paw returned and in them, held his goggles and a note. The human took them in confusion, seeing that they were like new. How? He put them on before going to read the note. Black Hat always passed on notes when he was too busy with clients to see him.

  _‘Eat and rest. I’ll be down shortly for a briefing on what transpired.’_

Straight to the point as always. It was almost welcomed. Flug laid into his pillow and sighed. There was a tingling feeling in his hand, a wariness in his muscles. His boss’s magic likely fading. He knew he’d be in pain shortly, and ignoring the pain wasn’t a good idea. He needed to know what hurt to know what needed fixing. He wanted to shift in the bed but decided it was a bad idea; even if he couldn’t feel it, a glance under the blankets showed his broken hip was a dark blue and black bruise of skin.

  “Oh Flugster~”

  He tensed up at hearing Demencia’s voice. “W-wha…?”

  He winced, rubbing his throat. Yep, magic was definitely fading. “I’m heading out to deliver some wares~ Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone okay?”

  And she was telling him this…why? She had never seen him off before. Flug frowned but suddenly felt embarrassed. Was this because he had been kidnapped? Did she think she needed to check in on him just in case he was taken again? He swallowed roughly; he didn’t need coddling and especially not from Demencia of all people.

  “Have f-fun…” He managed to choke out.

  She stomped around the lab, likely picking up what was sold. But then she hesitated on the other side of curtains. “Soo, Black Hat won’t tell me what’s going on but…do you have any idea when you’ll be able to get out from…there?”

  He saw her shadow, motioning to the curtains in general. He hesitated. “No i-idea. I’m not sure how I’m going to g-go about healing.”

  “Oh don’t worry about that! Sounds like he nabbed some specialty doctor that’ll fix ya right up! And even if ya can’t get back to work right away, maybe we could like, play some games? If you need to stay in bed I mean.”

  That was…oddly compassionate. Flug frowned. What had happened? What brought this on? Was she pitying him? Course, both she and Black Hat weren’t human. They had no idea about limitations. Despite himself, he felt a sudden rush of anger and annoyance.

  “I’ll be fine. Back to work in no time…” He mumbled.

  She shifted on her shoes, rocking back and forth. “You shouldn’t rush it. I mean, I’m sure the bossman will give ya some time.”

  “I don’t need time, I need to get back to work.” He said firmly, clenching the blankets tightly in his hands. There was a harsh sting of pain from the bandaged fingers as they promptly began bleeding again. “I, I can…take care of myself.”

  “Does that mean when we find Mr. Heropants, he’ll be supporting some good ol’ Flug-induced black eye?” She chuckled.

  He flinched. “I…”

  He’d tried. He’d tried to fight back. It, it wasn’t _his_ fault that nothing he did put a dent into Lightning. He didn’t realize he was suddenly shaking, breathing hard. He heard Demencia say something, reaching for the curtain, but she couldn’t get in just as Black Hat promised. He clutched at his chest with his good hand. He’d tried, he’d tried so hard to push the man off, to make him stop, had begged, why wasn’t that _good_ enough-

  “Flug!”

  He yelped and flinched instinctively. Black Hat stared down at him with a narrowed eye before he grunted. “Demecia, what did I tell you about bothering Flug?”

  “I wasn’t bothering him, I was talking to him!” She whined.

  “Which counts as **_bothering him_**! Go do your damn job before I put you into another dimension!” He hissed.

  Flug managed to calm down his breathing before realizing a familiar feeling had settled. He hissed, bloodied hand cradled against his chest as he felt tears in his eyes. It hurt, everything hurt. His leg was throbbing with a pressure of twisted bones, his hip felt like it was being crushed under something heavy. It almost distracted him from the odd, sharp pain in his lower back. His insides were agony. What had Lightning done to him??

  “I’ve _hired_ someone to look at you and fix this.” Black Hat said coldly, arms crossed behind his back. “Can you handle them coming in?”

  He wasn’t useless, he wanted to scream. But he didn’t dare, knowing Black Hat’s temper. The demon would likely snarl and grab him clean off the bed. So, he just nodded, feeling anxious, dirty, weak and now frightened. Even as his brain screamed at his coworkers for treating him like a broken toy, he hated the idea of some unknown stranger looking at him.

  Black Hat moved to snap his fingers before he hesitated. “She is a doctor for heroes, she has dealt with them before. However, if at any point you feel…distressed, inform me. I will send her away and you can rest.”

  “B-but you wanted…a briefing?” Flug pointed out weakly.

  “It can wait.”

  That didn’t sound like his boss. “But, s-sir-”

  “I said, it can **wait**.” Black Hat hissed at him, and snapped his fingers.

  The woman was a mutant of some kind. Her hair was a glowing silver, her eyes completely white with no pupils or iris’. She had on a normal doctor’s coat with a satchel of tools, looking Flug over with critical eyes. The scientist couldn’t help but tense up; he felt somehow more humiliated than before.

  “Dr. Flug, I’m Dr. Lithium. Your…boss asked for my assistance.”

  He nodded nervously. She pulled a clipboard from her satchel and put on her stethoscope but stopped before pressing it against his skin. “Due to the…sensitive nature of your injuries, I must ask: do I have your permissions to perform some tests? Blood, blood pressure, your heart rate? I’ll talk you through them if it’d make you feel better.”

  Despite her cold exterior, Flug relaxed slightly. “Y-yes, you do, Doctor.”

  She did exactly as she said. She talked her way through each test, steady under Flug’s nervous eyes and the overbearing gaze Black Hat was glaring into her back. She wrote down her results before sighing. Her hands went to the blanket, making it clear what she was going to do. She only stopped when he glanced nervously behind her.

  “Mr. Hat, could you step out a moment?” She asked.

  He snarled. “I think not.”

  She sighed. “Do you not understand that having someone here watching something this delicate is embarrassing and crass? I can’t have you standing there, glowering as I inspect his wounds.”

  “P-perhaps he can just…t-turn around?” Flug asked nervously.

  “If that’s what you’re comfortable with, that’s fine. Mr. Hat, would you please?”

  He hissed but turned. Flug didn’t doubt he could somehow still see, Black Hat could do more impossible things than see behind him. But at least he could pretend now. The scientist stared up at the ceiling when she removed the blanket and began checking him for wounds.

  “Now I know I look pretty normal, Dr. Flug, but believe it or not I have superpowers.” Dr. Lithium joked dryly. “My powers are why I became a doctor. I can see into your body, like a personal CAT-scan. I’m able to see broken bones, inner bleeding, things like that. I’m going to begin scanning you, to make sure I don’t miss anything, and then we’ll go about setting some limbs, getting a cast on you, that kinda thing?”

  What an odd power. But that explained why Black Hat had grabbed her, since that meant he didn’t need to kidnap a full team or take him to a hospital. Flug wondered how that worked though; was the power some kind of radiation manipulation? Maybe he could make something similar, but for what purpose? He shook the thoughts off as he gave her the go ahead.

  Her glowing eyes increased in intensity. Her bright hair fanned out behind her, moving and blowing slowly like antenna. Flug felt an odd sensation in his body, but it didn’t hurt. Or perhaps he just couldn’t feel it anymore on top of everything else.

  “Your vocal cords were damaged, but they’re repairing. So long as you don’t strain them, you’ll be talking like normal in a few days. Maybe a week. Your hip has deep fractures, and luckily your ankle snapped in a clean manner. Setting it with a cast will be simple. There is…tearing in the rectum, applying a special cream will fix that. However, your fingers…”

  She stopped, eyes diming. Black Hat shifted behind her, listening, and Flug felt his heart racing. “W-what about them?”

  “They’re infected, Dr. Flug. I’m seeing traces of infection, rust, tetanus. There was a mention of, of thumbscrews?” Flug gave a shaky nod. “They weren’t clean. And with the only fix being some bandaids and being left in a moldy, dirty area…The best option I can give is amputation.”

  He froze. He’d been expecting that, he told himself. It was his dominant hand, but it was only two fingers. Perhaps he can learn to use his right. But even expecting it, he couldn’t help but take a shaky breath. Despite the lack of eyes, Dr. Lithium looked sympathetic.

  “You also will need surgery, for your hip, Doctor. A steel plate to keep it in place so it can heal.” She went on softly.

  “No.” Black Hat interrupted. She raised an eyebrow at his back. “That will not need your attention.”

  She didn’t argue. Flug didn’t blame her. “The most pressing matters are your fingers, so the infection doesn’t spread. The leg can be set immediately, but it’s going to fucking hurt, Doctor.”

  He almost laughed at that. “It, it hurts _now_ , Dr. Lithium.”

  “Set his leg and give him a cast. You and I will discuss the rest.” Black Hat said.

  She looked distressed. Likely wanting to argue and be professional, not leave it in someone else’s hands. But she sighed and nodded. Flug decided he liked her then. She seemed used to demanding types and he couldn’t stomach them arguing with his nerves like they were. She gave him a look and put the blanket back over him.

  Black Hat turned around and strolled over as the silver haired hero went to his leg. She pulled things out of her bag but Flug didn’t watch or pay attention. He was trying to prepare himself. It was going to be quick, and then things would get better. He just needed to last a little longer.

  “On three. One, two-”

  His boss reached out suddenly, making him almost flinch away. He felt the brush of gloves on his arm as Dr. Lithium snapped his foot back into place. He hissed, but there was no pain. Just a pull. Confused, he looked up at the demon but he refused to meet his gaze.

  The cast was tight on his skin. He gritted his teeth as it ached. His vision suddenly began swimming, and he heard the doctor speaking something to Black Hat. And then he thought he blinked, but the lab was dark and he was alone when he opened his eyes. His leg was in a cast, his fingers wrapped more delicately and professionally. He must have passed out.

  “Flug.” He nearly fell off the bed, having not seen Black Hat appear. “You passed out while the…doctor and I discussed what will happen next.”

  “S-sorry, sir.” He mumbled.

  The demon scuffed. “If circumstances had been different, you wouldn’t be alive to apologize. Now, I believe we need to debrief each other.”

  Flug nodded, trying to sit up. He winced and yelped in pain, realizing there was a large ice pack pressed against his hip. It helped until he moved, and the pain shot up his spine and made him see spots. He tried to blink back tears of pain, barely reacting when his boss was suddenly next to him and helping him lay back.

  “Sit still. She was very specific about you not moving until I fix you up.” Black Hat growled at him. He crossed his arms and glared down at him. “Which I intend to do this moment.”

  “F-fix me up?” Flug asked him, confused.

  “That’s what I said, didn’t I? An infusion of magic, and I can have your bones healed in an instant. I have no use for such power most days, but I guess, given the circumstances, they’re useful.” He explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

  He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Black Hat seemed completely unlimited in the range and extent of his powers. It made him wonder, not for the first time, what exactly he was. But even so, Flug was amazed and excited. A fixed hip meant he could move around more. He could start working. And working meant getting his mind off how weak and disgusting he felt.

  “Thank you, s-sir.”

  Black Hat huffed. “Don’t thank me until you’re up and moving, Doctor.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kind comments! I really appreciate them, they vitalize my need to write and give me confidence. Especially with all of you liking Dr. Lithium <3
> 
> Enjoy, and please send more feedback!

  Dr. Lithium had her arms crossed as she stared down Black Hat. Her background was full of dealing with stubborn heroes, and she was strong-headed herself. That’s why he picked her, besides the usefulness of what her powers entailed. A villain hospital didn’t cater to humans, and a regular hospital meant Flug would go alone, which he refused to allow. Lithium was the perfect choice, even if he found her repulsive. He couldn’t stand healers.

  “You don’t seem to understand what such an act means for a human, Mr. Hat. There is significant trauma, his immune system will be weakened for months because of this. He needs more than a doctor to patch him up, he needs a support system!” She said hotly.

  “Your judgement is noted. However, you no longer have any need to worry about Dr. Flug, I will take over looking after him.” He answered.

  She glowered at him. “You’re not listening. Having you around won’t fix him. He wasn’t just hurt or kidnapped, he was tortured and raped. Humans have a very delicate psychology, and something like this will mess with it. You aren’t going to wave your hands and he’ll go back to how he was before.”

  “This is no longer your concern, Doctor.”

  He had opened a portal for her to return to her hospital, and that had been that. She had left papers, but after reading them, he put them into his desk. He sat there a moment, contemplating. While he wanted to ignore what Dr. Lithium said, he knew he couldn’t. Flug needed work, healing, which was something he hadn’t done in a few centuries. And he needed to remove the infected fingers. Infection was something beyond his meager healing abilities.

  He hesitated from teleporting back into the lab. Perhaps what she had been talking about was the reason Flug was so twitchy? Was that the reason for his earlier outburst? Talking to Demencia wasn’t something Flug went out of his way to do, but he’d never fallen apart doing so. He needed that debriefing immediately then. He needed to know what that outdated piece of shit Lightning wanted and why he’d gone so far.

Xxxxx

  “Will, w-will you be doing the amputation? Or can, can you fix that?” Flug asked his boss.

  Black Hat eyed him before huffing. “Is magically healing the rest of your pathetic body not good enough now, Flug?”

  Flug winced. “N-n-no sir! I, I appreciate anything you can-”

  “Enough.” The dark-skinned demon rolled his eye and pulled off his gloves. “Lay down. From what I remember, the feeling is a bit…strange to you humans. You feel the skin knitting together, bones shifting, all the fun stuff.”

  Flug stared at him a moment. That didn’t sound pleasant. But if Black Hat didn’t mention pain, then he believed there wouldn’t be. He wouldn’t do that to him, right? Not after all this. But there was an uneasiness in his chest that refused to leave. Perhaps his boss would realize he wasn’t worth the effort and kill him.

  Sighing, the scientists laid back. He eyed the demon through his goggles, relieved to at least have his bag. And hopefully after this, he could wear clothes. He wanted to change, shower and get back to work instead of lying there for hours thinking. He tried not to flinch when Black Hat moved, gripping his left hand with his claws. He sliced the bandages off and Flug refused to look. He’d rather not see what they looked like.

  “Do you want to keep them?” Black Hat asked suddenly.

  “W-what?? My fingers?” He gaped at him.

  He grinned viciously. “You could hold on to them and once we find Lightning, you make him choke on them!”

  “…a, a t-truly ingenious idea, sir. B-but not really my style…”

  He tried to smile but couldn’t manage to. He looked up just in time to see Black Hat’s claws extending and though he couldn’t feel it, he felt the pull as the claw easily ripped through his fingers. It was a clean cut, no nubs. They began bleeding heavily but his boss’s hands began feeling warm, his one eye taking on a light purple hue, and Flug felt something just as warm under his skin.

  He gasped, eyes wide under his lens. He felt skin and muscles shifting. There was a _snap_ and suddenly his hip was back in place and the fractures must’ve been healed. His leg thrummed oddly under the cast and he could see the bleeding holes in his hand closing and leave behind only a faint scar. He was horrified and amazed at the same time, flexing his remaining fingers. It would take some getting used to, but this was better than the alternative.

  “T-thank you, sir.” He whispered and began sitting up.

  Black Hat grinned, preening slightly. “Now that that’s handled, it’d be best if you rested in your room. However, you’re…damn, what do you humans call it? Grounded?”

  Flug stared at him, pulling the blanket against his chest. “W-what?”

  “You’re to rest, Flug, and if any word of you working gets back to me, I’ll put you in a cage. Your bones are healed, but you aren’t’. I need perfection from you when you’re working.”

  “B-but, sir I-” He tried to argue but froze when the other glared at him.

  “Now, before you rest: I need to know why that disgusting hero kidnapped you.” Black Hat went on.

  He took in a deep breath, relieved that he could without pain. He felt an ache but it was barely noticeable anymore. “He…he grabbed me from my room. He wanted…wanted to know your secrets. Weaknesses, your powers, how to kill you. When…when I didn’t tell him anything, he started with the t-thumbscrews, sir.”

  Black Hat shifted, something flashing across his eyes. “You don’t have that information.”

  “No, sir. But he wanted…to know the layout of the mansion, where the lab was, passcodes…How you sustain energy. I, I guess he assumed you…entrusted me with that knowledge.”

  “And you didn’t tell him anything?” He demanded.

  “No, I…I refused. A-and once…he electrocuted me I couldn’t, so…” Flug winced, remembering his sore throat as he screamed.

  The demon stared at him. Flug tried to keep his gaze; he wasn’t lying. But then he scuffed and turned away. “That was a foolish move.”

  “S-sir?”

  “Passcodes, mansions, security can be changed. They aren’t worth…” Black Hat hesitated then but scowled. “You were stupid, Flug! What’s the worse that weakling can do?! He can’t fight me, else he would have tried, the moron can’t even take on Demencia! But you went and got your fingers fucked up and cost me thousands by taking two weeks off to find you and now waiting on you to heal.”

  Flug flinched as he raised his voice, cowering. “I, I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do, I just-”

  “We’re going to be behind for weeks! Months, even…”

  He shuddered and forced his eyes away. Tears were beginning to form as his heart raced. “I’m s-s-sorry, sir, I just…j-just…”

  He began breathing hard, struggling to keep calm. He couldn’t breathe. His heart was racing against his chest. Shaking hands went and clenched his temples through the bag as his vision blurred, whether from asphyxiation or crying he couldn’t tell. It wasn’t until Black Hat grabbed his shoulders that he came to, screaming and struggling against the hold.

  “Snap out of it, moron!”

  Flug finally stilled, staring at Black Hat in shock. “I…”

  To his surprised, the demon sighed and stepped back, refusing to meet his gaze. “…What I meant to say, is such knowledge in Lightning’s hands isn’t worth more than…than an employee. In such situations, I’d rather you keep yourself safe and give what information you can.”

  What good did that knowledge do him now, Flug thought angrily. But seeing the odd look on his boss’s face, he realized what he was trying to say. He sighed, feeling the tightness in his chest increase again. With shaking hands, he took off his goggles and threw off his bag, struggling to fill his lungs.

  “He…It h-hurts, sir, even….even though you healed me, I can still f-feel it inside. His hands, his…t-teeth, and every time I close my e-eyes, I’m back. W-what if it never goes away??” He choked out, sobbing as he stared, unseeing, up at the demon. “W-what if…if I’m never b-better and you have to replace me??”

  His goggles were taken from his hands as Black Hat moved closer. His gloved claws hesitated before he thumbed the tears away and put the lenses on his head. “Doctor, how long have we worked together?”

  The question surprised him enough that he could answer. “A, a few years now?”

  “For those years, we have worked together in destroying heroes, bringing utter chaos and destruction to cities, and creating weapons never seen before. You are…more than an employee, Flug. You are…my loyal ally.” Black Hat trailed off, embarrassed.

  He stared. The panic was forgotten in his shock. “Y-you….mean that, boss?”

  “Would I say something that fucking disgusting and revolting if I didn’t??” The demon growled angrily. “Why do you think I went after you?? Put my business on hold until you were found and safe?”

  Flug swallowed. He felt tears in his eyes again, but not from fear or panic. The claws on his face moved and traced the deep marks on his face. The sensitive electrical burns took up most of his left face, making his lips lopsided and scarred. The burst of light had been what messed up his vision, he’d been lucky that he hadn’t lost his sight completely. He hated how they looked; he was disfigured and ugly and people had trouble staring him in the eyes.

  But Black Hat barely seemed to notice them. He sighed and gave the scars a stroke before pulling his claws away. “Knock it off. If you’re sobbing, it should be from fear of _me_.”

  He managed a choked laugh. “It usually is, s-sir.”

  “And since I’ve already destroyed my dignity at the moment, I may as well admit it.” The demon rolled his eye. “If you were anyone else, Flug, I would have left you there. I would kill Lightning but only because he has inconvenience me. But with what he’s done to you…I cannot allow some piss-poor excuse of a hero to mock me, stealing what belongs to me and then running off like I won’t force him to eat his own intestines!”

  Flug winced when he began yelling, losing his temper. And he likely should get annoyed that Black Hat was claiming to own him, but he understood. It was likely the closest term of affection he’d ever get from the demon. He swallowed and wanted to say something sarcastic to his boss but despite knowing he was safe, he couldn’t help the fear from the outburst.

  “T-thank you, sir…”

  Black Hat composed himself. “Now that I’ve been debriefed, it’s time we get you to your room. You are to _stay_ there, Flug. 505 will be taking you your meals. I have some things to look into before we track down our hero friend.”

  “Uh, i-if I may sir?” Flug managed to pipe up as the demon grabbed his arm. They were teleported into Flug’s room almost immediately. “I…I want to come with you when you find him.”

  “Do you honestly think I wouldn’t allow you some form of revenge, Doctor?” Black Hat grinned savagely.

  “U-uh, well, you’re the one that…um, is owed revenge. Right?”

  The dark skinned demon huffed. “In the sense that I torture him until he begs me for death for damaging my property, yes. But I think you are owed the killing blow. It’s only…fair.”

  The scientist winced. He didn’t want to think about torture or begging. “R-right…”

  Black Hat nodded and made for the door, despite having no need to use it. “Rest, Flug. The useless bear will be up soon with food. Eat and rest.”

  He disappeared. Flug slowly eased himself down on to his bed. He glanced down; he had been attacked and kidnapped right here. It seemed so long ago now. Sighing, he ran his hands through his greasy, matted hair and then paused. He should rest, there was an ache that still hadn’t faded, but he was still covered in blood, sweat and dried cum.

  He limped towards his bathroom. He’d rest after he was clean.

Xxxxx

  “Fluggy boy!”

  He glanced up from his notebook, hesitating in hiding it. “You don’t need to yell, Demencia.”

  The neon colored girl grinned and all but threw herself on his bed. “Blacky mentioned I have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t sneak into the lab. And the ol’ bear is currently cooking you up some pancakes.”

  Flug rolled his eyes. He appreciated the gesture but he hadn’t made a break for it. Yet. “He trusted you to keep _me_ out of trouble?”

  “Right?? So, I wanted to come in and see if you wanted to sneak out!”

  That made him pause. He was sketching blueprints in the notebook so he didn’t have to lay there all day. He couldn’t handle it. Sleeping brought nightmares, and being idle meant he was forced to think about what had happened. Blueprints meant he could practice with his new main fingers.

  “Sneak out?” He echoed.

  She nodded. “We can’t go too far, 505 would notice. But you gotta be going crazy in here right? So how about we go for a stroll to the ice cream place down the road? I’ll even treat ya!”

  “If Black Hat finds out…”

  He couldn’t even imagine what the monster would do. Especially after being so open and honest with Flug. But he also couldn’t deny that the idea of getting out of his room sounded nice. It had only been three days but already he felt like he was going stir crazy. If he hadn’t found an old empty notebook in his drawer, he might have snapped and thrown himself out his window.

  “If he finds out, I’ll tell him the truth. That I talked ya into it.” Demencia offered, smirking. “Come on! An ice cream sundae tastes even better when you don’t pay for it.”

  He laughed despite himself. He put his book down and nodded. “A-alright…But, but we have to come home when I say. Promise?”

  She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to argue. But then she seemed to think better of it. She glanced at his deformed hand and then back up at his paper bag. Without a pout, she nodded.

  “Fine, fine. Now come on! Get on my back, we’ll be faster that way since I doubt you’re used to crawling around vents.”

  Flug blinked. She turned and knelt down, motioning to her back. He suddenly tensed up at the idea; he didn’t want to touch anyone. Black Hat was okay since it was impossible to mistaken his touch as human. But Demencia looked at him in confusion, motioning to hurry up, and he sighed. He quickly latched on to her, forcing himself to breathe. He almost choked on her hair.

  She scurried like a lizard. Which, in hindsight, made sense. Even so, Flug tried not to screech as she scaled the walls and ran through vents that were pitch-black. Did she have night vision? He’d have to ask and study such a thing once he was allowed. But within minutes they were poking their heads out from the manhole in the street in front of the manor.

  “How does that even work??” Flug mumbled as he dusted himself off.

  “Special entrance. Just in case we need a fast escape. Come on, Flugster, faster we get there, the faster we can be eating ice cream!” Demencia pointed out.

  He sighed and began walking with her. “We’re not exactly inconspicuous you know. Won’t someone recognize us?”

  “That’s half the fun! They usually scream and run off, or avoid us all together and that means we can cut in line.”

  He shook his head. “And if they call…c-call heroes on us?”

  Demencia giggled. “Then I cut them into pieces!”

  The scientist sighed. He should have suspected such a thing. They kept walking until they hit the corner, the small ice cream parlor busy. Demencia had been right though; as soon as the two got into line, the lizard girl rocking on the balls of her feet and Flug nervously fiddling his hands, the line dispersed with gasps and screams. Flug shook his head. That seemed like an over-reaction honestly.

  “Here ya go!”

  Demencia beamed and handed him a bowl. Flug smiled. “Thanks, Demencia…”

  He leaned against a nearby railing as he ate it, adjusting his bag. He caught his coworker trying to peek slightly and waved his spoon at her threateningly.

  “Sorry, sorry. But I missed my chance before! I mean, it can’t be that bad, right??” She laughed.

  “And you won’t get another.” He grumbled.

  They ate in silence. Once finished, Demencia tried to toss her bowl to the ground but Flug just sighed and threw them both away. They began the trek back to the manor and to his surprise, Demencia stopped him with a somewhat serious expression on his face.

  “Uh, I didn’t get the chance to say it earlier but…I am glad to have you back. Without you around, things were just so boring. 505 moped and BH kept in his office. And even _I_ missed you!”

  Flug stared at her. “T-thanks, Demencia…”

  “No one will tell me what he did to you…But I promise, the second I see him, I’m gonna break his nose! I’ll hold him down for ya!” She glared at nothing as she growled, kicking Black Hat’s fence. “Just say the word, Flug! He’s a dead man!”

  “So are the both of _you_.”

  Flug froze, blood turning to ice. He started to turn, but something collided with the back of his head. He heard Demencia hiss and snarl something before his vision went black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a lot of fun. Thanks for sticking with my evil cliffhanger, hahaha~

  There was never a time Black Hat wasn’t aware of what went on in his manor. Demencia and even Flug tried hiding things, now and then 505 might break something and hide the proof, but even if he never confronted them on it, didn’t mean he didn’t know. Every time Demencia snuck out, broke something, painted the walls, he knew. Every time Flug crept from the lab, hid under his desk, kept parts specifically for communalized use but put them into his pet projects, he knew.

  So, when Demencia snuck Flug out, he was furious. But he relented; Flug had stayed in his room as ordered the past few days. And even as he rested, Black Hat could tell night terrors plagued him. He smelled them, and it was impossible not to trace the scent of human fear when Flug awoke, screaming and crying. Demencia was reckless, but she did this out of necessity. She likely wanted Flug better immediately but lacked the knowledge on how, so a treat was her solution. It was basic and simple, much like her own mind, but that’s how she worked.

  He considered scaring them. Greeting the two upon their return, asking about how their small trip went. And under normal circumstances, he would have. But Flug was already too jumpy, too… _broken_ that he dare not risk it. He’d punish Demencia later. Especially when the _stupid brat kicked his fucking fence, that bitch!_

  He was readying himself to storm out there and wring her neck when he smelled someone else. He gritted his teeth. Who dared trespass on his home? Snarling, he teleported outside. He heard Demencia hissing, looking up to find her kneeling protectively over Flug’s unconscious form. And standing in the street was a familiar hero in blue and yellow.

  “Ah, Mr. Lightning. How convenient, you saved me the trouble of hunting you down.” Black Hat mused, grinning as he stepped in front of his two employees.

  The hero looked like shit, he observed. His brown hair looked like he gelled it but hadn’t in a few weeks. His eyes were tired and shallow, dark bags under them. He seemed twitchy and aggressive, something Lightning wasn’t known for when he was working with Skyman. Upon seeing the demon, the hero cursed under his breath.

  “That dick attacked Flug!” Demencia hissed needlessly.

  “Look, I don’t give a fuck about you anymore.” Lightning said. “Hand over the scientist and I’ll leave.”

  Black Hat raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You believe you can kidnap my employee, torture him, force _me_ to fix him, and then waltz up to my home with no repercussions?”

  “He’s broken, ain’t he? What good is he to you anymore? Just hand him over to me and I’ll leave and you won’t ever see me again.” Lightning said.

  Demencia bared her teeth. “I’m going to rip out your spine!”

  The demon stopped her before she could lunge. “Stay by Flug.”

  She hesitated but didn’t argue. Straightening his gloves, Black Hat began walking towards the hero. He gave Lightning credit that he didn’t back away; far more powerful, legendary heroes had. Perhaps he was just stupid then. Offering a jagged smile, he stood up straight with his arms behind his back.

  “Tell me, why are you so eager to have back my engineer? From what he’s told me, you could not squeeze any information out of him, so why come here and risk your head?” He asked almost politely.

  Lightning glanced over his shoulder at where Flug was laying before meeting his eye. “I can’t…get that day out of my head. I’m a hero, I’ve only had people look at him in adoration and hope. But having him begging for his life, screaming and looking at me in fear…”

  Black Hat almost rolled his eye. “An addicting feeling, isn’t it?”

  “…you do business with villains.” Lightning perked up. “Sell him to me.”

  Demencia made a noise behind him but Black Hat glared at her. She struggled to remain quiet, a nervous look about her as she looked between the two of them. The demon glanced down at Flug. The human seemed mostly unharmed, though his bag had ripped at the top where he was hit, spilling out red hair.

  “You want me to sell you my top employee, is that about right?” Lightning nodded. “Of course, in the world of villains it’s all just business. But what could you offer that would be worth the hassle of finding another engineer of Dr. Flug’s brilliance?”

  “Whatever you want. I just…need him back. You have no idea what it was like, having him squirming on my dick like that. Imagining it now, when he can actually scream or beg properly and…”

  Black Hat was used to being angry. His employees were all fools, idiots even. He had to constantly pick up after them. They failed time and time again in ways that he would never permit them to. But nothing came close, in the thousands of years he’d wandered the universe and different worlds, to the rage that came to him then. This so-called hero wanted Flug back as a sex toy? Simply because he’d discovered too late that being a villain was much more awarding?

  “How upsetting.” He mused, struggling to keep his voice even. “Tragic even, that we couldn’t come to an agreement.”

  Lightning stared at him, confused. His brain began putting it together by the time Black Hat was already moving. His right arm was a mass of gaping mouths of sharp teeth and eyes and tentacles as he shot it forward, barely missing the hero’s side. It clipped slightly, one of the mouths clamping down. The other hissed and covered his bleeding wound with a hand.

  “Ah, your blood is disgusting.” Black Hat hissed, face splitting unnaturally. “But this isn’t about my own personal tastes, now is it?”

  His gaping face hissed, teeth forming and a dark teal tongue that dripped saliva that made the asphalt hiss and erode. He heard Demencia grabbing Flug and moving away. Smart girl. He’d hate to accidentally eat the two in his rage. He snarled out a noise that couldn’t be made on Earth and rushed at the hero that was now backing away and sweating nervously.

  “T-they weren’t kidding, you’re an abomination!” Lightning snarled as he tried to dodge. “The world will be better once someone finds a way to kill you.”

**_“Keep singing, blue bird!”_ **

  One of the mouths latched on to his leg. It sunk its teeth into his calf, making him yelp out something. It began pulling him closer to the large maw of his face, his claws digging into the street as he grinned. The hero made such pretty cries, screaming and struggling to get away. Was this how Flug struggled? Did his dear scientist beg for his life, or did he beg to die?

  He growled when the hero used his namesake, shocking the mouths and getting free. The electricity made him twitch but was easily shrugged off. He wasn’t human, the effects of nature had very different effects on him. Growling more in size, he tried to shut his jaws around the man’s arm, chuckling in a way that shook the ground when he only caught his glove.

  “H-he’s only some regular human, isn’t he?? Easily replaceable! Or are you just mad that I fucked him first?”

  **_“No one steals and damages my property without payback.”_**

  A tendril pierced through Lightning’s chest. The hero screamed, spitting up blood as he struggled to pull himself off. Grinning, Black Hat opened his mouth wide, wanting to watch him plead and cry before swallowing him. He hesitated when he felt something grab on to his coat, snarling as he grabbed it.

  “S-sir, you…y-you promised.” Flug whimpered, trembling in his hold.

  Promised…? Black Hat paused. Ah, that’s right. He’d told Flug the man could have the killing blow, didn’t he? Sighing in a put-upon way, he regressed back to his normal form, tendril still clutching Lightning as the hero continued to struggle. Demencia was hovering nearby, relaxing when he didn’t accidentally crush Flug in his claws.

  “Your head?” He asked.

  “J-just a bump, sir. I’m fine.” Flug stepped back on the ground when he released him.

  Black Hat scuffed. “Idiot, what made you think running over here was a smart idea?? What if I killed you?!”

  Flug shrugged. “With all d-due respect, sir, it’s been years since you’ve accidentally hurt me. I trust you.”

  The demon felt oddly flustered at the proclamation. He cleared his throat, looking away as he tried to compose himself. “Where should I put this garbage for you then?”

  “I have some special devices in storage that I needed to test anyway…” Flug hesitated, glancing at Lightning nervously. Black Hat didn’t miss the way his hands were shaking as he clasped them together. “Could you put him into something he can’t get out of?”

  He huffed. “What weak, pathetic being do you take me for, Flug?”

  “Let go of me! Let go, you fucking ugly monster!” Lightning hissed as he struggled to rip the tendril out, his body healing around it. “Doctor, you.. _whore_ , tell him to release me!”

  Flug winced at the name. Snarling, Black Hat threw him to the ground, his appendage ripping out of him. The hero had fast healing, so before he could heal completely, he restabbed him. Lightning yelped, spitting up more blood. And just for good measure, Black Hat dug his shoe into the hero’s back until he screamed.

  “Demencia, get Flug back into his room. I’ll put our new guest somewhere….safe.”

  “Can I hit him?” The pink haired girl asked, glaring down at the hero.

  Black Hat gave her a stern look. She groaned before grabbing Flug’s arm. He jumped at the contact, whimpering, before he realized who it was and followed behind her. He glanced back briefly but the demon watched them go passively. Once the front door shut, he tightened his hold on Lightning and teleported them to a special area of the manor neither employees had seen.

Xxxxxx

  “You okay??”

  Demencia nearly bumped their noses together as she tried to look him over. Flug shooed her back, trying to get space between them. “I’m fine…Really.”

  She pulled slightly on the rip in his bag and he batted her hands away. “If you’re sure…he hit you pretty hard.”

  “Really, I’m okay.” He hesitated, noticing some of her hair was singed slightly. “Well, thanks to you anyway. If you hadn’t been there, he might’ve…”

  “Eh, don’t mention it. At least I could do something this time.”

  She walked him back to his room. 505 was there waiting for them, the bear perking up instantly upon seeing them. Flug sighed when he was pulled into a hug, rolling his eyes. He patted the bear’s snout and tried to pull away.

  “M’fine, 505.”

  He groaned when the blue bear carried him into his room and put him down on his bed. There was a tray nearby of pancakes, still hot. Demencia’s timing had been right then. If Lightning hadn’t stopped them, they would have made it back in time.

  “Do you have extra bags in here?” Demencia asked as she looked around his room. She paused at his dresser. “Are these yours?”

  “No, I just keep medals that aren’t mine because I like collecting them.” He answered sarcastically.

  “Sorry, you just don’t look…you know. Military.”

  “I was a pilot. Until I crashed and lost my sight.” She frowned at him and he shrugged. “My goggles are prescriptions.”

  He paused when 505 handed him the tray, pointing towards it insistently. He took it and began eating, pushing his bag up slightly. Content, the bear gave Demencia a look before waddling out, likely to clean. The lizard girl sighed and sat on his bed.

  “So, is that the reason why you wear a bag?”

  He glanced up at her. “Yeah.”

  “…Wait, if you were in the military and you lost your sight…why is there a plane in the house??” She asked.

  “I, uh…” He chuckled nervously. “I may have…stolen a plane. And tried to fly it…Thought I could still handle myself. And then I crashed it and Black Hat dragged me from the wreckage so I could pay back the damage.”

  Demencia gaped at him. “You _stole_ a plane from the _military_?!”

  “I was young.” He defended half-heartedly.

  She kicked her legs as he finished eating. He left over half on his plate, stomach still adjusting to being able to eat. He put it down and pulled out his notebook. He stopped when she sat facing him, sitting cross legged as she stared at him.

  “Can I see your face?”

  “…It’s not a good idea.” He mumbled.

  She frowned. “You act like I’d care. I mean, I prefer BH when he does that…face thing he does. And guys like Lightning,” She made a face. “That are so perfect looking are gross.”

  “It’s less about what you think and more about how I feel…” He sighed. “People tend to treat me…differently.”

  “Pfff, you’ve spent too much time around normies then!” She giggled.

  Flug stared at her. She began playing with her singed hair and surprisingly didn’t press. He began fiddling with the papers he’d been writing on; Black Hat never brought up the scars except that first time, when he mentioned that scars were marks of fighters and warriors. And Lightning had seen, called him ugly and deformed, but that hadn’t stopped him from raping him either.

  His hands were shaking when he reached up. He pulled his goggles off, looking them over in his hands. To Demencia’s credit, she didn’t stare as he slowly eased it off his head. His messy red hair fell into his face, and he smoothed it back, realizing he needed a haircut soon. He couldn’t help playing with the bag as he waited for her reaction.

  “I was hoping you were lying and had extra eyes or something.” She teased, grinning. “I think it looks pretty cool! Like a sunburst.”

  “T-thanks…I think.”

  “Why would people treat you differently over that?” She asked.

  Flug sighed. “Because I look like a monster.”

  “Rude. We’ve met some perfectly nice monsters.”

  “H-heh, that’s…true.” He scratched at the scars on his lip.

  He jumped when she poked at it. The scars were red still, aggravated from Lightning’s rough treatment despite Black Hat’s healing. His eyes, once blue, had faded each year since the accident. The left half of his teeth had cracks and were uneven; a dentist had once offered to fix it but he hadn’t been able to afford any of that once he was discharged.

  “Want me to get you a new bag?” She asked.

  He eyed her, then the bag in his hands. “M-maybe…later.”

  “Well, I should let you rest. I’m probably gonna get an earful from BH when I leave.” She hopped up and stretched. “Don’t tell him about our secret exit though okay??”

  Flug snorted. “Right. Our little secret.”

  She laughed and took off like a bullet. Alone, Flug sighed and put his goggles on after tossing the ripped bag to the floor. It felt weird; he was using to paper rubbing against his temples and the smell but this was…nice. It left him feeling vulnerable, but that was a feeling he’d gotten too used to in the last few weeks. Staring at the blueprints, an idea began forming in his brain that he began sketching, a dark feeling growing in the back of his head.

Xxxxx

  Black Hat was in his office when he felt Flug leaving his room. He paused, glancing at the grandfather clock. It was roughly two in the morning. The scientist had snapped later than he’d expected. Shaking his head, he got up and began walking towards the lab. He found the man sitting at his desk, hunched over blueprints he was sketching out.

  “I believe I never told you you were ungrounded.” He greeted.

  Flug jumped and yelped, nearly falling out of his chair. To the demon’s surprise, he realized the human wasn’t wearing his bag, just his goggles. He raised an eyebrow as Flug picked himself up sheepishly.

  “S-sorry, sir, but this was important.”

  “More important than my orders?” Black Hat asked dangerously.

  He hesitated, swallowing nervously. It was odd, being able to see the man’s expressions. “Important, t-to…me, sir. You want me better? This…this’ll help.”

  “How so?”

  Flug motioned towards the blueprints. It looked like a container. One of his side, personal projects he had now and then. Giving him a look, the red head sighed and began fiddling with his hands.

  “This, this is where…I want to put L…Lightning. Using his powers, I estimate that he could potentially give off enough electrical energy to….to power some of my devices. And, and with his healing I can make sure that he won’t die from it. It’ll keep sucking power until he’s too weak to even, e-even _think_ but it’ll kill him eventually.” Flug talked in a rush, hurried and almost excited. “It’s…it’s perfect, sir. I can…do what he did to me, but he’ll be useful to us. F-forced to power our new projects we’ll sell in the catalogue.”

  Black Hat chuckled. While it was almost worrying, this sudden savageness from the usually docile scientist, he couldn’t help but be impressed. And hopefully once Flug had his rightful revenge, he’d go back to normal. Tapping a claw against his chin, the dark skinned demon nodded.

  “Creative, Doctor.” He mused.

  Flug’s face turned pink. “T-thank you, sir.”

  “However, it will have to wait.” He went to argue until Black Hat glared at him. “You need to rest.”

  “No offense sir, but if I have to sit in my room any longer I might just shoot myself.”

  Black Hat paused. “Well, then how about a detour?”

  Flug stared at him, confused. He grabbed his arm and they were in the demon’s study as he pulled the human towards his desk. He motioned for him to sit, taking his regular seat behind the desk as he had a tray form. While he knew Flug preferred coffee, Black Hat couldn’t stand the taste. It was too artificial, too human. Instead he poured tea, cup floating near Flug’s face until he grabbed it.

  “….thanks.” He whispered, staring into the dark red liquid.

  “You’ll be working for me the rest of the millennia as payback of course.” Black Hat shrugged.

  “I think you’d be employing a skeleton at one point. I’m not sure how efficient I’ll be then.”

  He chuckled, smirking. “Ah, Doctor, you underestimate me even now.”

  Flug sipped his tea, wincing slightly at the taste. But he kept drinking as to not be rude. “So, can’t even escape in death huh?”

  His hands were shaking again. Sighing, the demon pondered how to answer that. Part of him was annoyed that Flug wanted to escape, or thought there was any way of leaving his employment. But he had to remind himself this wasn’t normal Flug; the scientist was still recovering from his time with the hero.

  “Isn’t there…a way you can just…” Flug sighed. “C-can you make me forget?”

  “Easily. But I won’t.”

  The human jerked up, staring at him in shock. “W-what?? Why?!”

  “Because that doesn’t solve the problem.” Black Hat shrugged. “And I was advised against it.”

  “That’s…!” Flug gritted his uneven teeth before sighing. “That’s not fair…”

  “Don’t be a child. Of course it’s not fair. But why forget when you can enact the worse violence on him?? Why let him win in such a final manner?”

  “Because there’s no stopping it! Every time I go to bed, I’m forced to remember how he touched me, what it felt like, or even worse, my brain decides that I liked it enough that I…!” Flug hesitated, emotions changing rapidly in his eyes before he snarled and threw his cup across the room. “There’s no getting better! Do you know how long people have to go to therapy before they can even pretend that things are close to better. No! Because those are human feelings that you can’t even bother with.”

  Black Hat stared at him, tapping his claws together as he tried to reel in his temper. “I’m glad we have such an understanding.”

  “You arrogant, pompous asshole! You sit there and pretend like you know what’s going on when you don’t! How is it I get more sympathy from Demencia?!” Flug yelled at him, slamming his hands on the desk.

  Before he could stop himself, the demon snarled, lashing out. Tentacles wrapped around the human’s wrists, pulling Flug off his feet. He heard the human yelp and struggle; baring his teeth, he hissed and all but threw him back into his seat.

  “It’s best you remember that I am still your boss and I _own_ you, Flug!” He snapped.

  Flug winced, biting down on his lip. He glanced up, tears behind his goggles, and Black Hat remembered too late who he was dealing with. Gritting his teeth, he huffed and released him, sitting back down himself. He tried to calm down before opening his mouth.

  “Flug-”

  “I, I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean…” Flug whimpered, wiping his tears away. “I’m not myself anymore! That _hero_ takes up all my thoughts, when I’m asleep, even when I’m working. Nothing helps!”

  Black Hat took in a deep breath. “My…human knowledge if lacking, Flug. You and Demencia are my first employees so I have no frame of reference.”

  The human sobbed. “I…I don’t know what to do anymore…”

  “Once you have recovered further, you can extract revenge. If such a thing fails, we’ll go from there.” The demon said.

  Flug didn’t seem to hear him. He was staring off, sniffling and breathing hard. Huffing, he reformed the cup that the scientist broke and eyed him. Perhaps he should bring him back to his room…Demencia might be a better companion at the moment than he. She had mentioned playing games with Flug as he recovered.

  “S-sir, what…w-what if…” Flug swallowed. “I mean, if it’s…the memories of such an act that keep bothering me and you…you won’t remove them…Then I need new ones.”

  “What are you talking about?” He demanded.

  “Have….have sex with me.”

  Black Hat froze, staring at the human in confusion and shock. Flug was staring at him intently, focused. He wasn’t even embarrassed, which was even more surprising. He’d always pegged the human as an awkward virgin, someone unable to handle discussing the mere mention of the act. He narrowed his eyes.

  “You’re propositioning your own boss now, Doctor?”

  Flug wasn’t deterred. “If I have something else…Maybe it won’t haunt me so much! Especially if I get a choice in the matter this time, right?”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking for.” He finally responded, tracing the rim of his cup.

  “Of course I do!”

  “ _No_ you don’t, Flug, идиот! أحمق” The demon snarled at him, tongue slipping into something else. “ _Idiota_ you sit there, whimpering about being used and taken advantage of, and then beg me to do the same!”

  Flug winced at that, shaking hands clinging to his own arms in a self-hug. “B-because I trust you, s-sir…”

  Black Hat felt all anger drain from him at that, eyeing the human before sighing. “If you were a throwaway human, Flug, I would. But you’re not. Go lay down, Demencia will likely be looking for you in an hour.”

  The red head stared at him, confused and oddly hurt. He then sighed. Pulling himself up, Flug glanced back at him before leaving his office. Black Hat watched him go. He gritted his teeth in frustration and disappeared into a door that formed out of the shadows of the room. Maybe a rampage through a small city would make him feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> идиот - Idiot in Russian
> 
> أحمق - Moron in Arabic
> 
> Idiota - Idiot in Spanish


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a few notes before we begin! Someone commented about how a rape victim wouldn't ask to have sex so soon after the act. And while I agree, there are cases of such because they feel the desire that it'll fix them or make them normal in the eyes of people who know. Not all cases, but some. And that's the case with Flug in this.
> 
> Another is "how does Black Hat know everything that goes on in his house, yet Flug gets kidnapped?" which...well, cuz it's BH thinking that. He THINKS he knows everything going on, but he's not perfect. Honestly, it was his ego talking. And you'll see that in this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy.

  Rather than do as ordered, Flug headed back to his lab. He wasn’t tired, and he certainly didn’t want to lay in bed again. If Black Hat came by and yelled at him, well, he didn’t really care. He hadn’t expected a rejection to sting like it did, especially since lately even brushing against people made him feel physically sick. Perhaps he’d been stupid asking his boss like that. He sighed and sat at his desk.

  “I’m an idiot…” He mumbled to himself.

  He began tinkering to distract himself. By the time he looked up from his device, it was well past morning and nearly noon. He blinked, amazed, and then stared at what he was working on. The containment for Lightning…He had the entire frame done, he just needed to put in the special glass. Suddenly exhausted, he decided to take off his goggles and laid on his desk. Maybe a nap would be fine.

  He woke up to 505 gently shaking him. The bear cooed, motioning for the door. A glance at the clock made him realize it was dinner time. He didn’t recall having any nightmares, and he felt rested despite still being tired. He went to pull himself up, pausing when he realized there was a blanket over his shoulders. It was black silk. Not hard to imagine where that could come from, but he left it behind and refused to think about it.

  “Am I allowed to eat out of my room?” He asked.

  The blue bear paused, staring at his face. Flug blinked, realizing he still had his bag off. Flushing, he grabbed his goggles and put them on. He followed 505 out to the kitchen, where Demencia was rummaging through the fridge. 505 snarled, paws on his hips, and she jumped.

  “Stop hiding my drinks from me bear!”

  He pointed at the table. She hissed, sticking out her forked tongue, and sulked over to her place. Flug sat next to her, mumbling to 505 about milk. As the bear began finishing up dinner, she turned to him and beamed.

  “Glad to see that ugly mug of yours~” She cooed, winking.

  He flushed. “Shut up…”

  “I haven’t seen the bossman around. That usually means he’s seeing a client or he’s killing something. Any ideas?” She asked.

  “…I doubt a client, unless they’re buying from last’s month’s shipment.” He mumbled.

  Demencia raised an eyebrow at him. “…Ya okay there, Flugster?”

  He glanced at her, surprised at the question. “Y-yeah, I just…uh, Black Hat found me in the lab. Yelled at me.”

  “Do you want me to help ya?” She asked. “I mean, I can keep an eye out for you. Let ya work for a bit, and I’ll hide around in the vents to give you a warning!”

  “Thanks, Demencia but I don’t want you into trouble. I’ll manage.”

  505 cut them off by putting plates down in front of them, along with a glass of chocolate milk. Flug chuckled. The three of them began eating in silence as usual. Flug was planning on what kind of glass he’d need for his device, strong enough to hold Lightning in but also would be clear enough that he could watch him slowly die. He managed to eat half his plate before stopping.

  “Thanks, 505. I’ll, uh, be in my room.” He lied.

  Both of them gave him a look that said they knew. Flug sheepishly smiled back. He took off, bringing his glass of chocolate milk with him. He liked milk, especially in his coffee, but the stuff had been mysteriously missing since he’d returned to the manor. He’d take what he could get. He’d even take more of his boss’ weird tea.

  “Flug.”

  He nearly tripped through his door. “S-sir! What, uh, what are you doing here?”

  Black Hat glared at him, leaning against his desk. “I thought it would be best if I brought your new lab rat.”

  He motioned towards the left. Flug frowned, glancing over and saw Lightning was in a cage of black metal. He was laying there, glaring at the two of them, and the scientist was embarrassed that he tensed up upon seeing him. Even caged, he felt physically sick at being in the same room as the hero.

  “O-oh…right.” He mumbled, swallowing. “Thank you, sir.”

  “He can’t get out unless you open the door. I have business to attend to, but you don’t move him without me. Got it?” The demon ordered.

  “Y-yessir…”

  With a huff, Black Hat teleported away. Flug stood there a moment, not sure if he felt annoyed or hurt. He sighed and began getting back to work on the container. He found the perfect glass, some from a previous invention. He began putting it in, hooking the wires and tubes in at the base. Finished, Flug wiped his hands off on his jeans.

  “Now I see why you’re such a good fuck. You just sit there and take orders.”

  He froze. He’d nearly forgotten about Lightning. Swallowing, he glanced over at the hero but couldn’t find a way to respond. The brown haired man laughed at him. Kept laughing at him until he was doubled over, near hysterics.

  “Oh god, I was right. You’re broken huh? I broke ya good…Maybe if you crawl in here, I can fix you.”

  He needed to ignore him. He took a deep breath; he wasn’t his prisoner anymore. He was free, he could make his own decisions. Maybe he should get Demencia in here to keep him company? He doubted Lightning would say anything with an audience.

  “Was I your first, Doctor? If I had known that, maybe I would’ve taken my time with you…Your boss seemed pretty pissed off I beat him to it, you know.” Lightning went on.

  After being rejected, that statement made Flug see red. “Shut up!”

  “But I only speak the truth, don’t I? What use are damaged goods?”

  “Shut up, shut up!!” Flug hissed at him, grabbing a nearby weapon and storming over. It was a regular laser gun, capable of disintegrating anything the beam touched. He’d been messing with it so he could remake into something else, but he hadn’t been sure what. It seemed convenient now as he pointed it straight at the man taunting him.

  “Will you kill me, Doctor? Stop hiding behind your ugly-ass boss and do it!” Lightning hissed at him, blue eyes bloodshot. “You don’t have the guts though. Lackeys never do. You just do as your told, pretending you’re better than your boss.”

  He’d kill him. All the sleepless nights from nightmares, the frustration at being coddled by his coworkers, the anger at being treated as an object, the sadness that he knew what Lightning said was true…it’d be gone. He just had to kill him. In hindsight, he knew he was thinking irrationally. But he was tired and hurt and everything Lightning said, he had been thinking since he’d been brought home.

  “You think I won’t do it??” Flug snarled at him, gritting his cracked teeth as he opened the cage and pressing the gun against his cheek. “You can pretend otherwise but you don’t know me.”

  He realized his mistake in that moment, as Lightning’s eyes lit up in glee. Flug yelped as electricity shot through the gun and made him drop it, dashing for the door. A strong hand wrapped itself around his wrist and yanked him back. He fell to his back painfully, wincing, and then there was a weight on him. He began panicking then. It was a blind panic as he screamed and shoved at him.

  “You’re so easy, Doctor!” Lightning hissed at him, hands wrapping around Flug’s throat. “Both in the sack and to trick. You better scream louder. Let’s see how long they take, hm?”

Xxxxx

  Demencia strolled through the halls, humming a song. She was heading for the lab since 505 had motioned for her to do so. Black Hat was hiding away somewhere like he usually did, and the bear had chores. She wanted to play some games, maybe practice her guitar. But she was worried about Flug. He was acting so strange since coming home and no one would tell her why.

  “Flug, you up to playing some-“ She began, shoving the door open. She froze.

  “D-don’t look!” Flug yelled.

  She should listen, her brain whispered, because she was seeing things. Hallucinating; maybe she’d gotten hit by some new device on accident. There was no possible way that hero was on top of Flug, grinning and panting, as the scientist sobbed under him. But something clicked in her mind then. Black Hat’s coat on Flug, hiding him behind a curtain until he was healed, calling in a special doctor…

  “Sorry, Doctor. Didn’t know you didn’t like having an audience.” Lightning cooed into his ear, movements stilling as he gripped the man tighter. “F-fuck…”

  They’d been hiding this from her? Did they think she couldn’t handle knowing? But seeing the ashamed look on Flug’s scarred face, she realized. And then she tensed, baring her teeth, and snarled.

  “Get off him!”

  She slammed into the door, recognizing the familiar smell of Black Hat’s magic. She saw Lightning pulling out of the human, evidence of the act spilling on Flug’s thighs. That made her see red. How _dare_ he. No wonder Flug was so tense and twitchy since getting back. No wonder the boss was being so protective. She hissed and lunged on his back, ignoring his curses as she dug her sharp nails into his shoulder blades and raked them through his muscles.

  “You **bitch**!”

  “I’ll rip your throat out you disgusting-!”

  She barely noticed Flug limping out of the cage, keeping his lab coat close. Lightning tried to grab at him, but Demencia latched her teeth into the side of his neck. He screeched in her ear. He began pulling on her hair, trying to yank her off, but she just tightened her grip until he was dripping blood all over. His grip lessened as he gurgled up blood, and despite every instinct screaming to rip his throat out, she got off of him and slammed the cage door in his face.

  “Flug, are you okay??” She ran over to where he’d fallen, mismatched eyes looking him over. “I’ll get 505 and-”

  “No!” Flug hissed, grabbing her wrist.

  She hesitated. Sighing, she knelt down and nodded. “Okay…What, what can I do?”

  He pushed up his goggles, wiping away the tears that had gathered. “M-my room…bathroom.”

  She draped his arm over her shoulders and began helping him limp to his room. She paused only to glance back, glaring as Lightning sneered at their backs, struggling to breathe as his throat healed. Demencia ended up needing to carry Flug once they got outside the lab, Flug’s legs giving out on him as he made broken noises that resembled sobs.

  She didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t equipped with knowledge on being sympathetic or compassionate. The only way she knew how to make this better was smashing the man’s face in and fixing whatever wounds there were that hurt. But that hadn’t worked in the few days Flug was home, and it wouldn’t work now.

  “I, I can handle myself…Please. Just go.” Flug mumbled when they got to his room.

  “No way. You can’t even walk. I’ll carry ya into the bathroom and wait here just in case.” She said.

  “Leave, Demencia.”

  He pushed away from her, beelining for the bathroom door. She watched him go in confusion. The door was slammed behind him, locked, and she sighed. Her entire front was covered in blood, and she could taste it. Shaking, she left Flug’s room and ran for Black Hat’s office, forcing the door open. The demon hissed at her, demanding why she’d disturbed him, but stopped. Not realizing it, she was crying, make up smeared around her eyes.

  “What is it?” He asked her sternly.

  “F-Flug…by Lightning…! I was too late, h-he was done, and I…” She sniffled, trying to wipe her eyes on her sleeve. “I, I didn’t know, boss!”

  Black Hat roared and flung his desk across the room. Tendrils, eyes, mouths, spikes, all of them were a writhing mass as he slammed his claws against the wall, tearing through the wallpaper. Demencia didn’t bother backing away in fear, she was frozen and part of her thought she’d deserve to be hurt. How could this happen, when they were all home??

  **_“WHERE IS HE?!”_**

  “F-Flug is in his room, showering. He wouldn’t let me help him.” She answered.

  The angry mass that was her boss snarled through all fifteen of his mouths. “Clean yourself up, we’re going out.”

  She paused, confused. “W-what?”

  Black Hat formed back into his usual body, a red glow behind his monocle. “We’re bringing in company.”

Xxxxx

  “Greetings, lowly civilians. Black Hat here with a very special broadcast! You see, it’s come to my attention that some of you decided it would be a strategic move to target members of my company rather than going after me directly. While I can applaud your efforts, I decided I’d make it perfectly clear what shall happen to anyone that dares so much as _look_ at a loyal employee of Black Hat Inc.”

  Cambot panned from where the demon was standing to a dark corner. When Black Hat snapped his fingers, a light came on, illuminating a line of tied up heroes in chairs. They were struggling against their bonds, which looked suspiciously like black tentacles. Each was from a different city, well known and popular.

  “In my research, I found that each of our special guests had assisted our young offender. Each of you were an ally of his, a few even helped him in locating my scientist and getting a hideout. And we’ll be demonstrating just what happens when you _fuck with my employees!_ ”

  He set upon them in that instant. There were screams, soul shattering cries and begging. One of them began bleeding from the eyes, screaming as blood dripped down his face. A sharp tendril burst from his mouth a moment later. Another began screaming as talons dug into his chest cavity, grabbing his ribs and ripping them apart. A flurry of tentacles invaded the opened torso and began squeezing organs until they burst like water balloons.

  As parts of him kept tearing open heroes, some of them far more torturously slowly than the rest, he formed in front of the camera. He wiped off a bit of blood from his lip, grinning as a woman hero spewed up blood and disappeared into one of his many gaping mouths. “I sincerely hope I’ve gotten my point across. I would hate to destroy any more of your worthless, boring heroes. I ran a business for that.”

  Cambot turned off the broadcast only once the last hero’s dying screams were cut off. Content, Black Hat dusted himself off and made for the door. Demencia was standing there waiting for him. She hopped over and walked with him towards the lab.

  “So, he saw it all?” She asked.

  “Unless 505 proved his uselessness and failed.” The demon responded harshly.

  She nodded, hesitating. “And…and Flug?”

  “Give him space.”

  They entered the lab where their last hero was kept. Lightning was staring at a screen that 505 was holding, his blue eyes locked on to it as he shook. He didn’t seem to hear them as they entered. The usual cocky attitude was gone, and Black Hat grinned.

  “I hope you enjoyed the show.”

  “Y-you’re…you need to be stopped.”

  The demon snorted. “Well, when someone powerful enough comes along maybe that’ll happen. But it certainly wasn’t you.”

  Lightning finally tore his gaze away, staring up at him. “You said…the doctor gets to kill me, r-right?”

  “Oh yes. I wouldn’t take that away from Flug. However, lucky for _us_ , you’ve proven quite resilient.” Black Hat’s claws extended, glinting as he morphed inside the cage with the man. “Now, it’s best you hold very still, Mr. Hero. I’d _hate_ to nick something important.”

  As Lightning screamed and tried to back away, tentacles wrapped around his limbs. They kept him in place, spreading his legs wide as Black Hat stalked closer. He casually ran his claws against the bars of the cage until he was looming over the man, and then his boot came out and stomped down on a very sensitive bit of anatomy. As the hero cried out, struggling, the demon sneered.

  He let off enough that the pain stopped. Once it faded, Lightning opening his mouth to talk, Black Hat struck. Claws digging through his uniform, through flesh, cartilage and blood vessels. He flung the bloody mass into the man’s pale face. Making a face of disgust, Black Hat wiped his claws off on the man’s uniform.

  “Demencia, what’s the human term for what I just did?”

  The lizard girl grinned evilly. “’Neutered’, sir~”

  “Ah, that’s right. Well, no need to thank me. Hopefully you’re healed up before there’s too much blood loss.” He said blithely.

  Lightning choked out a cry, hands covering his crotch to stop the bleeding. Black Hat hummed and left the cage, straightening his coat. Demencia was still grinning at the man, a glint in her eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder, making her pause in surprise.

  “Once the bleeding stops, do what you will with him. But he needs to be alive once you’re finished, understood?”

  She cheered and tried to hug him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you~!”

  He shoved her away. “I’ll be checking in on Flug.”

  He walked there this time. He’d rather not surprise the human in the state he was in. He had a thought of being soft again, but it was shrugged off easily. He knocked on the scientist’s door and heard movement inside. Uneven steps as Flug opened the door, bag and goggles on his face, as he stared up at the demon. There was a sudden tightness in his chest when he saw the haggard appearance of the human.

  “S-sir, forgive me, I…”

  “Save it. There is no need for your apologizes.” Black Hat paused, trying to think of how to say what he knew needed to be said. “You…would not have been in such a position if it hadn’t been for me. And I failed to protect you in my own manor, no less than twice.”

  Flug winced. “N-no, I shouldn’t need p-protecting! What kind of villain am I if I have to hide behind y-you or Demencia??”

  “A human one.” Black Hat answered dryly.

  “…did you kill him?” Flug asked after a moment of silence.

  “No. I promised you. I may have…altered him slightly, and made a very clear message towards any future heroes deciding to target you or Demencia. But he’s alive and when you’re ready to erase him, you shall.”

  Flug sighed and leaned against the doorway. Black Hat wondered what he was thinking. It was hard to tell, even though Flug was usually so easy to read. He stiffened when the human suddenly gave a cry and sobbed into his gloves. What was he supposed to do? How did he make it stop?

  “W-why did it have….a-again??” The scientist demanded as he sobbed. “…why did I have to be awake the whole time? It, it was better when…I didn’t know what it felt like.”

  He twitched angrily in response, trying to swallow down the rage bubbling inside of him. “Perhaps, in times such as these, it would be best if we got your new invention working?”

  He hesitantly put a hand on the others shoulder, making sure Flug didn’t flinch away from the touch. The scientist glanced up at him, trying to control his breathing, before he lurched forward and hugged him. Black Hat froze, blinking owlishly. After a moment, he sighed and allowed the contact, patting the back of his bagged head.

  “I don’t take failure lightly, Flug, as you very well know. I will not fail you again.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy~ <3

  Flug didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep. Lately he just passed out from exhaustion. He shifted, trying to feel where he was; his bed, his desk, maybe on the floor somewhere? But it was a soft bed, too big to be his. Confused, he opened his eyes and saw black silk sheets. A plush pillow was under his head, and the mattress felt like it was melted around him. There was a smell of ash and firewood.

  Black Hat’s bed. His heart began racing in his chest as he sat up. How did he get here? Did he make a fool of himself again, begging his boss for sex? No…he’d had an incident with Lightning. He shuddered, pulling the blankets closer around him. It all came back to him then. Lightning strangling him until he was too weak to fight back, shoving himself into him…

  The feeling of hot cum filling his insides…

  He shook. Even worse, Demencia had seen it all. He buried his face into his hands, trying to breathe. He laid back against the pillows and considered leaving. His lower back ached, he’d be limping for a while. Maybe he could sneak back to his room despite that. But then he remembered being held, his boss gently cradling him like he wasn’t disgusting or used or defiled. He must have passed out on him…embarrassing.

  “You’re awake.” The demon’s gravelly voice came from the door.

  “How long…?” Flug asked softly.

  Black Hat strolled over, leaning against the bedpost. “Only a few hours. I had time to go pry Demencia off our guest and have 505 clean up the mess.”

  The scientist nodded. He went to the edge of the bed, wanting to stand himself up, but a tendril wrapped itself around his arm and shoved him back against the pillows. He yelped, confused, as he stared up at his boss.

  “You refused to stay put in your own room, so you’ll be staying here where I can keep an eye on you.”

  He scowled. “You’re my boss, sir, not a babysitter.”

  “I’m your boss, you signed your soul over to me and I’ll tell you to do whatever I order. Right now, that’s lay there, heal up, and plan our new device for once you’re ready to get back into work.” Black Hat grumbled at him.

  “I can do that without being here…” Flug argued, feeling his face warming up under his bag. “You don’t need to tie me up and hostage me in your room… _sir_.”

  He saw the demon shift, obviously annoyed. He wondered if he should apologize. He kept lashing out, getting angry, when his boss had been nothing but patient with him. Gritting his teeth, he went to stand up again. He dusted off his wrinkled clothes, finding his white coat missing and his shoes gone.

  “I guess I didn’t make myself clear.” Black Hat said through clenched teeth. “So I’ll repeat myself, Flug: I _own_ you, and ordered you to stay in your room which you disobeyed several times. I don’t have time to keep chasing after you, cleaning up messes, and trying to fix you! So now if I have to, I guess I’ll strap you into bed and have you fed like a child-!”

  The chiding made his stomach lurch. Black Hat would lose his temper, lash out, do something he’d regret. And Flug hated that this kept going in a cycle, that he knew how this would play out yet he hadn’t been able to stop himself. He felt himself panicking as the other raised his voice.

  He pulled his bag back, revealing his scarred mouth and nose, and lunged. He saw the confusion on Black Hat’s face before he pressed their mouth’s together. It was odd; his lips were scarred, lumpy, and the demon had no lips himself. He felt his heart racing in his chest. He’d…he’d fucked up. He really fucked up.

  Flug broke the kiss, stammering out what he’d hoped was an apology but the words weren’t coming. He went to pull his bag down so he could see properly, but before he could, Black Hat shifted against him. He pressed against him again, kissing him, and Flug felt his face go red. He nearly jumped out of his skin when his tongue reached out, running over the scars before entering the scientist’s mouth.

  It was smooth and soft. Flug couldn’t help a groan when it ran over his teeth. The demon reached out, gripping the scientist by the shoulder as a clawed hand pressed against the small of his back. As their bodies pressed together, Flug flinched. He tried to focus on the heat, Black Hat tasted like nothing he’d ever tasted before, and as he pressed harder, he felt the hint of those sharp teeth against his own skin.

  Shaking hands gripped his boss’ jacket. He moaned despite himself; the demon’s tongue extended and wrapped itself around Flug’s. It sent hot sparks through his spine, making his knees tremble, but there was a nervousness. Lightning had called him a whore…was he? He’d been assaulted only a few hours ago and yet here he was making out with his boss.

  He pulled away, breathing hard. “I…”

  “Don’t pass out on me.” Black Hat said, not at all disgruntled by making out with his employee.

  “I, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t…” Flug pulled his bag down, biting his lip. “Y-you already said no and I…”

  He almost missed the demon rolling his eye at him. “I said I wouldn’t jump you like a ravenous human teenager. You’re overthinking things.”

  “…I’m sorry, sir, I…I panicked and…n-not that I didn’t want…B-but I shouldn’t want that right? Especially after, after what happened today and… _what if I really am a whore_??”

  Black Hat watched him carefully, letting him spit out the incoherent babble. But when Flug managed to whisper the last part, he scowled and bared his teeth. “Don’t be a fucking idiot!”

  “B-but…”

  “Flug, who are you going to listen to? Some pathetic coward or _me_? Even though you’re a moron, you tend to be smart now and then so of course you’ll listen to me. And I say you are nothing of the sort, and shouldn’t give that trash a second thought.” He went on.

  Flug managed a smile despite himself. “I, I guess that’s true...”

  Black Hat smirked at him, but there was a glint in his eyes. “I also say you shouldn’t turn down hospitality when it’s offered.”

  He shoved him back on the bed. Flug sighed, moving under the covers again. He saw his boss grinning smugly but ignored it. He curled up and snuggled into the incredibly soft pillows, pausing only when Black Hat moved to hand him something. He took it, finding his notebook from his room.

  “I spoil you.” The demon mused as a huge flat screen appeared on the wall.

  “Thank you, sir…”

  “If you need anything, call. Demencia and 505 can’t get in here, so you’ll be dealing with just me at the moment.”

  Flug nodded slowly. As Black Hat went to leave, he stopped him. “W-wait, I…about the k-kiss, sir, I…”

  Black Hat gave him a look. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It does! I just…I mean, thanks for…letting me…?” Flug felt his face getting warm. “I mean, I don’t regret it!”

  His boss studied him for a moment. “Good.”

  He then left the room. Flug watched him go, not sure if he should feel humiliated or stupid. He seriously had done that. But Black Hat hadn’t pushed him away, and he’d kissed him back. He glanced at the notebook in her hands, then up at the large TV. Sighing, he turned the TV on and decided he might as well take advantage of it. Sharing a TV in this household was an absolute nightmare…

Xxxxxx

  “Boss! BOSS! I can’t find Flug anywhere, he’s not in his room!”

  Black Hat gritted his teeth as Demencia burst through the door. “Shut up, you moron! He’s resting.”

  She blinked, surprised, before sighing in relief. “Ya should’ve told me, I was running around everywhere looking for him! Geez…Is he okay?”

  “What do you think?”

  “R-right…” She frowned, running a hand through her hair. “Then…what do we do?”

  He linked his fingers together and gave her a stern look. “There’s nothing to do, you know that.”

  She made a face. “But there’s gotta be something! Why can’t that doctor do something more for him?? He’s not the same…he just sits there and works and even when I bug him lately, he doesn’t yell at him. Not like he used to anyway.”

  Black Hat sighed. He recalled Dr. Lithium’s words, that Flug wouldn’t return to normal and how he needed support. It made part of him shudder and roll his eyes. That seemed ridiculous to him. But the part that worried, that saw the way Flug lashed out and cried and flinched, he wanted to know what the doctor meant.

  “Why?” Demencia asked suddenly.

  “Why _what_?” He hissed.

  “Why would…” She sat on his desk despite his glower at her. “Why did Lightning do this?? Why Flug? I mean, we work with tons of villains and some of them are creepy and run sex trafficking and whatever but it Flug being targeted just…it makes me mad! And I can’t understand why he did it!”

  The demon’s hands clenched despite himself. “He did it to hurt my business.”

  The lizard girl stared at him a moment. “So it’s…our fault?”

  “No, Demencia. It’s mine.”

  He shooed her off, and she went reluctantly. Once alone, Black Hat sat at his desk and thought. He was able to peek into his room to find Flug sleeping, looking like he’d fallen asleep while planning blueprints, the TV still running. He wondered if he should wake him; there was vague movement, like Flug was beginning to experience a nightmare, but the doctor so rarely slept nowadays…

  Frustration and rage had been bubbling in his chest these past few days. It was itching to be scratched and unleashed on someone. Lightning he couldn’t, he wouldn’t take that resolution from Flug, and he’d dispatched a few heroes that dared help the so-called hero and still called themselves _good_. There were a handful of people left that he could deal with, like the traitor that had sold the hideout to Lightning in the first place. But he kept putting them off, knowing that’s not what his employees needed.

  He clawed a hole through space and stepped inside, ignoring the shouts and screams. He scanned the large office until he found what he’d come for. Surrounded by heroes and nurses, Black Hat’s tentacles grabbed all of them and kept them pinned as he approached Dr. Lithium sitting at her desk.

  “Is this another house call?” She asked him dryly.

  “You mentioned my scientist needed…support.” He said, eyeing her as he forced a smile. “Care to elaborate for me, Doctor?”

  She gave him an unamused look, looking at her hostage staff and sighed. “I don’t have time to go over psychology with you, Mr. Hat. I suggest you take an online course in your own time.”

  He flexed a grip on one of the younger nurses, making her yelp and struggle as her bones groaned in protest. “This is my own time.”

  Lithium sent him a dark glare, hair twitching above her head. Finally, she sighed and rubbed her temples. “Fine, fine, just…stop. First tell me his symptoms lately.”

  “Angry one moment, docile and frightened the next.” He hesitated. “He asked me to take the memories from him and lashed out when I refused. Then he begged me for sex.”

  “I’m not surprised…He’s trying to ask for help without knowing what help is. He might be experiencing hypersexuality in a need to normalize the trauma and I have to assume he’s experiencing nightmares?” He nodded. “If you do accept his advances, I ask that you go slow. He might end up panicking and changing his mind mid coitus. If you push him, you’ll only cause regression.”

  He rolled his eye. “You’re only telling me basic logic here, Doctor. I need answers and solutions.”

  “Which is exactly what I can’t give you. There are no answers or medicine that fixes him.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “A support system means he knows there are people there to help him when he stumbles. And he will, a lot, but he needs to know that won’t matter. He needs to be able to talk to you and your other employees about what he experienced.”

  “Which won’t happen among villains.” A male nurse hissed.

  Black Hat glared at him, ignoring Dr. Lithium’s shout as spikes lurched from his tentacle and turned said nurse into a pincushion. “Expect me in the future then, Doctor, if I have more questions.”

  He released her staff, tossing the now dead body aside. He stepped back through the portal and into his office, slamming it close behind him. Sighing, he was about to sit at his desk when he heard noises. Shuffling and crying; likely the nightmare from earlier. He teleported into his bedroom and saw Flug tossing and turning, bag ripped and goggles cockeyed.

  “Wake up.” He said, shaking the scientist until he gasped and lurched forward. “Nightmare, Flug?”

  “S-sorry, sir. I was working and I guess I…” Flug righted his bag and goggles. “I dozed off. But I was working on something new, in case you wanted a debriefing! Uh, I know you want me to rest and I shouldn’t be working too hard, a-and I promise I’m not, but-”

  He raised a hand to silence his ramblings. “What’s the device?”

  Flug stared at him a moment almost suspiciously. He then showed him the blueprints he’d been sketching out. “It’s a ray that can mimic powers! W-well, sorta, if I can design it properly then you point it at someone and it stores their powers inside. And with a switch, you can toggle between them all, harnessing any one superpower for yourself.”

  “Will it have a maximum capacity?”

  “Most likely…I need to experiment with storage and how large the powers will be. Kinda like a computer…” He trailed off, thinking. Black Hat had to snap his fingers to get his attention again. “Oh, sorry sir! B-but I noticed on TV there are more and more heroes popping up with powers so…”

  “Will taking their powers leave them useless?” The demon asked.

  Flug tapped where his chin was, considering that. “If it did, it’d be quite painful sir. We could make two versions then, I thought more of a stealth device…”

  It was the most normal he had seen the scientist in the past few days. He began looking over his notes, forgetting his boss was standing there as he began mumbling numbers to himself. Black Hat wanted to be annoyed; his presence shouldn’t be outdone by _blueprints_ but it was also slightly relieving. Flug had a tendency to lose himself into his own head. This was almost…normal.

  Perhaps he was being too restricting. Trying to keep Flug in his room and away from work hadn’t been working. The human clearly wanted to get lost into his work and prove himself. Even if it was dumb, Flug had nothing to prove to any of them, he couldn’t help but feel oddly proud of him.

  “Well, then doesn’t that work out just perfectly then!” Black Hat mused, grinning viciously as Flug jumped. “We have a perfect candidate right in our own home.”

  Realization dawned on the scientist and his hands began shaking. “Y-yes…yes, that _is_ perfect. I can make the stealth prototype, and he can power it _himself_ while I use him as a battery…and then when he’s near death I can harness his powers, put them into the storage…kill him…”

  “Can you stand?”

  “Huh? Oh, of course, sir.” Flug quickly did so, looking self-conscious of his wrinkled clothes.

  Black Hat eyed him a moment, noticing he favored one leg. A limp…He almost felt foolish. “Ah, forgive me. I didn’t…”

  He reached out, gloves brushing against the doctor’s shoulder. His powers eased the pain, and Flug looked relieved as he was able to stand up straight. Once he was sure the human was comfortable, he stepped back and motioned for the door.

  “Well, if you’re able to stand you’re able to work. Let’s go.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost to the end here...it's been fun! I appreciate and adore the comments I've been getting and I'm glad you all enjoyed the journey with me. Hopefully next fic I won't be so mean to Flug...but unlikely :3

  Flug was suspicious when his boss escorted him back to his lab. After trying to keep him locked up, the sudden change of heart was odd…But then again, he wasn’t about to argue. His hands were shaking, the nightmare fresh on his mind, and he wanted to lose himself into his work. He couldn’t hide his relief that Lightning was gone from his lab as he got a blank blueprint so he could move over his sketches to be proportional.

  So quick to lose himself, he didn’t realize that Black Hat had left. Also suspicious; he shook it off as he began his work though, sketching and then fleshing out the design and then beginning on his tinkering. He only stopped when 505 entered, cooing at him and ended up sleeping near his feet. He mindlessly stroked the bear’s fur before he got back to it. At some point 505 had left, unnoticed, and apparently had brought dinner up to him that he hadn’t seen until it was long cold.

  He only stopped at 3am because he couldn’t see straight. He glanced around, wondering if he dared head for his bedroom. Deciding that he’d rather not, he went to a familiar space under one of his desks. A small crawlspace that he slept in when he couldn’t manage the walk to his room. He curled up under the desk and removed his goggles. His eyes slid shut easily, too tired to fight it.

  And he dozed off. Laying there, he drifted almost instantly into a dream. Of large arms wrapping around his waist, a hot breath in his ear and panting words that he couldn’t hear but _knew_ how dirty and disgusting they were. He lurched awake, nearly slamming his head against the bottom of his desk. Panting, his own hands ran over himself to fight off the hint of those arms, realizing it hadn’t been real, and then gave a sob.

  A grandfather clock chimed somewhere in the manor. It was 5am. He’d only slept for two hours…Sighing he crawled out from the desk and began working again. He only looked up again when 505 returned. The bear had another tray of food, pointing at it insistently. Flug waved him off, mumbling about eating a bit, and didn’t look up until a new tray was shoved under his nose by the bear.

  Near noon, he began swaying dangerously. He crawled back into his desk bed, curling up into a fetal position. His goggles dug uncomfortably against his face but he didn’t care. He passed out. After half an hour, he woke with a choked cry, hands checking between his own legs. When he didn’t find anything dripping on his skin, he sat there, breathing hard.

  Just a nightmare. Always nightmares.

  A constant nightmare.

Xxxx

  Black Hat decided to go check in on Flug a few days later. The manor had been suspiciously quiet lately. No explosions from the scientist’s experiments, no growling from 505 and not even the blast of a guitar from Demencia. Confused, and definitely _not_ worried, he strolled through the halls, pausing when he saw said lizard girl peeking into the lab, 505 doing the same with a tray of food. Raising an eyebrow, he came up behind them.

  Flug was sitting at his desk, hunched over something, mumbling too quietly for them to hear. Odd. Flug talked to himself, but usually it was numbers or equations. As the eldritch focused, he caught small things. _“J-just a little long…s’not real…priceless, worth it,”_ before he cleared his throat and made Demencia and 505 jump.

  “Boss!” She greeted anxiously, peering back at Flug. He hadn’t heard them. “Boss, you gotta do something. He’s creeping me out.”

  “Flug is?” He asked curiously.

  “Fives got me cuz apparently Flug hasn’t been eating.” The bear nodded, whimpering. “But I’ve been here almost twenty minutes and he just….sits there. Talking.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “About?”

  She shifted, frowning. “About… _him_. That hero. Killing him mostly, but I dunno…”

  “You’re frightened because Flug’s obsessed with revenge over the hero that forced himself on him?” Black Hat hissed.

  “No, but it’s…just not Flug.” Demencia frowned, crossing her arms. “And he’s not eating at all. He hasn’t even gone off on a coffee break!”

  That made him pause. Eye narrowing, he looked at 505 and the bear nodded. He pointed to the tray, a cup of coffee sitting there, and then at the tray Flug had clearly ignored. Nothing on it was touched. Grumbling to himself, Black Hat took it from the bear and stalked inside the lab, slamming it down. Flug didn’t jump as expected, he paused, blinking slowly, before turning to his boss.

  “Oh. Sir.” He sounded surprised, voice slurred. “…What day is it?”

  “Thursday. I let you into the lab on Sunday.” Black Hat stared him down. “Why aren’t you eating?”

  Flug glanced at the tray from the morning. “Oh, r-right…Forgot.”

  “You _forgot_? To eat, something that, in my feeble human knowledge, you need to keep living. Am I correct?”

  “I’m just, I’m so close to being done sir! Look!” Flug waved the ray around wildly. “The containment cell is all plugged in, the gun just needs a power source! I was going to come and get you so we could move him. And then, _then_ , I can finally watch him die…”

  Black Hat eyed him critically. His ramblings were also slurred, eyes behind the goggles wild and bloodshot. Flug also smelled terrible, wearing days old clothes and needing a shower. He looked like a madman, fitting in the lab coat that was hanging off him more than usual. The demon suddenly paused, realization dawning on him.

  “Doctor, have you been sleeping?”

  Flug froze. His demeanor changed almost instantly from excited child to irritable. “O-of course…”

  “You haven’t left the lab.” He pointed out.

  “I’ve been…here. Sleeping here. Sir.” Flug fiddled with the gun, not meeting his eyes. “I, I can take care of myself! You don’t have to watch me like I need you holding my hand the entire time! I’m not, not a kid and I’m not…not _useless_!”

  Still at the door, Demencia gasped. Black Hat wanted to roll his eyes at her but he was too busy swallowing down the burst of rage. “ _Flug-_ ”

  “I don’t need you hovering over me!  I can look after myself fine, just let me work and let me kill that hero wannabe!” The human went on.

  He caught himself before he grabbed him, hissing and instead lashing out against the walls. Flug flinched as Demencia and 505 hid back in the hall, the demon breathing hard as he stared at the large gaping holes he’d made. Flug couldn’t help it, he tried desperately to remind himself.

  “You aren’t going to bully me into listening this time.” The apparently suicidal human grumbled.

  “W-wow, Flug, you’ve been busy!” Demencia cut in, forcing a large grin despite the nervous sweat on her brow as she stood between the two. “Is there anything I can help with??”

  Flug paused, confused at her sudden appearance. “Demencia...? Oh, uh, where…was I?”

  He frowned and reached up, rubbing his temples through his bag. Anger thoroughly dissipated, Black Hat sneered but allowed the girl to intervene. Demencia giggled, sounding fake and obvious, but Flug didn’t seem to even notice as she hesitated to put a hand on his shoulder.

  “If you’re so close to being done, then ya need a break!”

  “W-what?? No, Demencia, I just need to get a little further and then-!”

  “Come on, come on! We’ll play some video games for a bit, swallow down some popcorn and then we’ll kill that son of a bitch!” Demencia went on, all but dragging Flug out of the lab. “If you’re too high strung, ya won’t enjoy the kill.”

  They left the room, 505 quickly running after them. Alone, Black Hat took a deep breath and snapped his fingers, the walls fixing itself. He eyed the gun that had been left on Flug’s desk and then the containment glass. He felt oddly reluctant to let Flug kill Lightning now; what would the human do when he realized that killing the hero didn’t relieve him of the nightmares and feelings that he was hiding from?

  Sighing, the demon motioned towards the containment glass and Lightning appeared inside. The hero was docile since the removal of certain parts of himself, laying there in a shell-shocked manner. He didn’t even notice that he was suddenly somewhere else. Wishing he could do something more, Black Hat went back into the reclusion of his office, not bothered until several hours later when Flug slinked inside.

  “S-sir, do you…have a moment?”

  “What is it?” He asked, not looking up from the book he was reading.

  Flug shifted sheepishly. He sat down across the desk, all confidence from earlier gone. “I…wanted to apologize for earlier, sir. I don’t…I mean, it wasn’t fair of me to l-lash out at you when you’re all just trying to…help.”

  “By you suddenly being coherent, I assume you’ve gotten some form of sleep.” The demon mused.

  “Y-yes, uh, Demencia and I passed out after a few games.” Flug rubbed at his arms. “B-best…sleep I’ve gotten.”

  Black Hat finally put his book down, staring the human down. “Flug, tell me something. What is the plan when you finally kill the hero?”

  The scientist looked surprised, then uncomfortable. “I…I assume things go back to normal?”

  “They will, will they?” Black Hat raised an eyebrow at him. “And if they don’t?”

  Flug looked away then, hands clenched together. “I…I don’t know, sir. I just want things back to before…”

  The demon sighed. He stood from his chair, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. He knew manipulation, especially with humans, and even now it was hard not to slip back into that mindset. He noticed that Flug was watching him carefully, tense like he’d need to escape, and carefully faced him.

  “I’ve lived on this earth centuries, Flug. I’ve repeatedly taken it over, given it back, and done so again until it bored me. If there is one thing I’ve learned in that time, it’s that humans are…pathetic. Weak. And yet, they are oddly resilient. No matter how many times they near extinction, they find ways of crawling right back.” He smirked. “And given you’re a human that’s intelligent enough to work here, I have no doubts that you’ll manage.”

  “Uh…” Flug hesitated, looking awestruck and flustered. “T-thank you, sir.”

  “But in the meantime, Flug, we have to deal with the weaknesses that come with you being human. And even if it’s not… _timely_ , I believe I’ve made myself clear that I’ve invested too much into you that I refuse to toss you aside.” He went on sternly.

  He saw the human fiddle with his hands. Not meet his eyes. Internally, the demon blanched and felt partially disgusted. How sappy and gross and _low_ he had fallen, resorting to this. But when Flug lifted his bag and goggles to wipe away a tear, a watery smile on his face, he couldn’t help but think it was worth it. Especially when that scarred face stretched as Flug laughed.

  “An investment means you get something back you know, sir.” Flug teased softly.

  “Oh, but I do! Like spreading my name and business!” He sneered, smirking.

  The scientist relaxed, hands playing with his goggles. He did so almost too evenly, given he had lost two fingers. After a moment, he stood up and approached the demon. Black Hat eyed him, wondering if Flug was about to have a mood shift. Maybe he’d yell or attempt to hit him, and he desperately hoped not. His temper wouldn’t have allowed that.

  Instead, Flug blushed, glancing up and was moving before Black Hat understood the look he was getting from the human. He kissed him. The human was shivering with nervous energy. He reeked of fear, so why? Did Flug need the comfort? Was it a stress thing? Carefully, he held the human’s shoulders and kissed him back.

  “I-is this okay??” Flug suddenly pulled away, his scarred face red. He nearly was the same shade as his hair. “Wait…you kissed back right? I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”

  “A tad.” The demon offered, smirking.

  Flug turned darker. “S-sorry…”

  Black Hat chuckled, claws gently turning his chin up and forcing him to meet his eyes. “I have yet to spurn your advances, haven’t I?”

  “…That’s why I don’t understand it, sir. Even if I wasn’t…” He hesitated, hands shaking as he latched on to the demon’s coat. “W-wasn’t… _used_ , why are you…?”

  He stilled, all amusement gone as he stared the human down. “What does this mean for you?”

  Flug bit his lip, hesitating. “I…I don’t know, sir. A-and that’s what frightens me…We’ve worked together for years, but even now you still…s-scare me. B-but I trust you to keep me grounded and…”

  “Good, I can’t lose my touch after all.” Black Hat mused, thumb tracing the human’s scars. “Don’t make me repeat those disgusting, _compassionate_ things I said. I offer you any human affection you need, you only have to ask.”

  “And if I…if I suddenly decide I really like this and I want us to be together?” Flug asked, face pink as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly.

  “You say that as if courting has any irreversible damage.” Black Hat rolled his eye.

  The scientist chuckled at that. “I guess I never…thought of it that way.”

  “Of course you didn’t. Humans never make things simple.”

  He leaned forward, giving Flug enough time to pull away, and kissed him. It was odd to Black Hat. Humans showing affection was very…messy. But he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it the few times he experienced it. And Flug made such endearing noises, clinging to him like his knees would give out, whining and gasping. Slowly, the eldritch demon pressed his claws against Flug’s back, forcing them closer, and when the human only moaned into his mouth, took it as a sign to continue.

  “BOSS! Have you seen-Oh.”

  Both of them jumped, Black Hat giving Demencia a dark glare as Flug yelped and nearly fell. A few of his tentacles kept the scientist on his feet as he straightened his jacket and dusted himself off. “What now?”

  “I woke up and Flug was gone. And he wasn’t in his lab.” Demencia said, looking curiously between the two. “I wasn’t dreaming that just now, right?”

  Flug’s hands fiddled with his goggles almost to the point of breaking them. “D-D-Demencia, it’s not…I mean, it _is_ , but I…”

  “Pfff, relax Flugster! Ya act like ya stole him from me or something.” She laughed.

  The human blinked. “You’re not mad?”

  “Nah, why would I be? Just cuz _you_ like Black Hat doesn’t mean I suddenly stop. Give me some tips, though, nothing I’ve done works. OH! What’s kissing him like?!”

  Black Hat hissed. “I’m going to peel your skin from your bones and feed it to you.”

  She yelped, hiding behind Flug. The coward. The scientist was still processing what Demencia said, looking surprised, but Black Hat scuffed. Humans were odd. Everything had to be all or nothing with them. No wonder their species was so easy to conquer.

  “I should get back to work anyway…” Flug said suddenly, putting his bag back on. “I need to start testing the gun and battery on…o-on our guest.”

  He left in a hurry. Black Hat watched him go, hoping Flug wasn’t getting worked up again so soon. He became increasingly aware that Demencia was still there staring at him, so he turned to glare at her. She just grinned and slinked closer.

  “Soooo, when did _this_ happen~?”

  “What does it matter to you?” He asked instead.

  Demencia frowned at that, losing all sense of playfulness. “Since I walked in on him getting raped in our own house and then you’re getting grabby with him.”

  He almost recoiled at that, bearing his teeth at her. “I’m attempting to help him.”

  “With your tongue in his throat? Wow, medicine has come far.” She taunted, rolling her eyes at him. “I just need to know you know what you’re doing, boss. I’m worried about him. It took forever to snap him out of his funk earlier.”

  Black Hat raised an eyebrow at her. “ _You’re_ lecturing me about this?”

  “Why does everyone act so surprised?! I’m allowed to like Flug too you know.” She grumbled.

  “I’m trying, okay?” Black Hat snapped at her, suddenly overcome by frustration as he paced his office. “Emotions aren’t my specialty and now Flug needs them?? I stopped paying attention to human needs about a good millennia ago.”

  “Hey, I’m just impressed you didn’t sail him across the lab earlier today. But ya can’t blame me for worrying when he gets attacked and suddenly he’s trying to eat your face.” Demencia said.

  He stopped pacing and glanced through the walls to where Flug was working. It was easy to see him as if he was standing in the same room, watching him tinkering and hooking up his gun to the containment cell. Maybe soon things could have a semblance of normality. Once that piece of shit Lightning was dead, perhaps things would calm down.

  “It worries me as well.” He admitted softly. Demencia frowned. “But what else can I do?”

  She leaned against his desk, thinking. “…Do you like him?”

  “Don’t give me that human garbage.” He sneered.

  “Geez, fine. But if Flug asked you to like…be with him? Would you?” She asked instead.

  “Perhaps. Flug has been loyal to me these past years, and he doesn’t make me want to rip his eyes out most days.” Demencia stared at him. “Human lives are so brief. What’s one lifetime with a partner, when you have eternity?”

  She paused at that, thoughtful. “I wish he was like you, or 505. Y’know? Around forever.”

  He didn’t answer her. Shrugging, she left his office, blowing him a kiss at the door before hopping off. He watched her through the walls as she joined Flug in the lab, and the two began bickering as usual, Demencia easily getting Flug’s mind off the looming figure of his tormentor, laying not too far away. Black Hat glanced then around his office, at the many things he’d collected the years he’d wandered the many dimensions, worlds, planets and galaxy’s.

  “…so do I.” He whispered to himself.

Xxxxxx

  Flug worked again until he had a fully working gun. Pointing it at Lightning, who never moved from his slumped spot in the containment cell, the scientist then fired it at him. The hero twitched, not affected by his own powers, but it showed Flug that the gun worked. So then he worked on the other, looking forward to stealing the hero’s powers painfully and finally killing him.

  He was draining Lightning as promised to get a stable power source for the gun when said man finally moved. He slid closer, forcing his eyes up, and Flug hated that he froze instantly. He had nothing to fear from the man anymore, and yet he couldn’t move. His hands shook, and he’s been struggling with his grip the entire time with lacking two fingers, but he refused to falter in front of the man.

  “You killing me soon?”

  “Yes. First I’m taking your powers though, I promise you it’ll be painful, and then I’m draining you dry until you’re a heap.” Flug answered darkly.

  Lightning grinned. “That’s alright though, Doctor. Ya already gave me something _special_ , right?”

  “As did you.” Flug said, relishing in the way that smile dropped out of confusion. “After being the worse lay possible, I can only go up, right?”

  The hero’s face twisted savagely. “You….you whore! Slut!”

  “Did I hurt your feelings? Terribly sorry, guess I need to work on my bedside manner! But from what I hear from Demencia, well…Black Hat didn’t have a lot to rip off of you.” The human went on.

  He pointed the gun at him as Lightning hissed and punched the glass. The man gasped, surprised at the pain, and then began choking on screams. Flug stared. The gun vibrated in his hands, finished, and he was almost disappointed. He tossed the gun on the desk and stormed to the control panel on the containment; it wasn’t enough. He slammed a button and watched as the metal base of the area heat up under the hero’s body.

  “Fuck! Shit, turn it off!” Lightning screamed at him. “Turn it off! You ugly ass bitch, you should be thanking me for giving you the time of day! You’ll never find anyone else that’ll fuck you with that bag off your head.”

  Flug watched him and then turned the dial up more. The metal began to turn red from the heat coursing through it. Lightning began screaming, jumping to his feet and trying to find a way to avoid the floor. His nails began desperately digging into the glass as he jumped around. The scientist watched coldly, enjoying his screams and desperate pleads.

  A hand on his shoulder made him jump, ripping away from the grip. Black Hat didn’t seem to mind, eyes on the hero. “Is this sufficient?”

  Flug hesitated. “Nothing seems…painful enough.”

  “Nothing is, for what he’s done.” The demon mused.

  The scientist watched Lightning scream and trip over himself. His hands were red and forming blisters, his suit caught fire. Flug wanted to look away. Part of him didn’t enjoy torture; not mindless, sadistic torture like this. But the other part of him knew he needed to see that he died. Make sure that he couldn’t come back. And there was a thrill in his throat when Lightning collapsed, unable to keep screaming. Flug managed to not jump when a hand gripped his coat sleeve, Demencia watching with hard eyes as her slender fingers wrapped around his and held his hand.

  It would be the last thing Lightning saw. Flug standing there, flames glinting off his goggles, as he held Demencia’s hand and Black Hat standing guard. It settled some of the unrest in the human’s chest. Seeing the charred flesh stop moving, twitching with echoes of brainwaves, Flug gritted his teeth against the lump in his throat that was forming rapidly.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Demencia said softly, smiling before pulling him down into her arms. “He’s gone. He’s gone, okay?”

  A gloved hand settled reassuringly on his back and Flug broke. He sobbed into her shoulder, clinging to her as Black Hat’s hand stayed there, claws digging protectively into his coat. Demencia kept gently mumbling in his ear, a far cry to the panting and strained, pleasurable whispers that kept haunting him. Her hands stroked his shoulders, rocking them back and forth, and he was so confused that this was coming from _Demencia_ of all people, but he took it eagerly.

  He wiped his eyes and pulled away when there were no tears left. “…the new inventions are ready for sale, sir.”

  Black Hat stared at him a moment, before his eye went to the two guns on the desk. “Excellent work then, Doctor. We’ll begin filming in half an hour.”

  “We should celebrate!” Demencia suddenly yelled at them both. “I’ll get 505 and we’ll cook up something special!”

  “You’re not allowed in a fifteen-yard radius of the stove.” Flug reminded her, voice slightly hoarse.

  “Death to a hero is always worth a celebration, but this is a special case.” Black Hat mused, looking interested. “Fine, I’ll allow it. Demencia, it’s in your hands.”

  She cheered and lunged up into the vent. She was gone instantly. Flug managed a laugh, cleaning his goggles on his lab coat and making sure his bag wasn’t wet. His boss pocketed the new guns and then paused. Flug couldn’t think of anything that Black Hat would want to talk about, except…well. Earlier, when they kissed again. His face felt hot under the bag.

  “Sir?”

  “I had a thought, Flug.” Black Hat said. He was standing tall, turning so his back was to the human. “An employee of mine should be able to protect themselves. And a perk of working for someone as brilliant as myself should be a far cry than anything else, shouldn’t it?”

  The scientist blinked. “Yes?”

  “Of course.” Black Hat turned to him, grinning in a way that showed all his teeth as his hand went to his own chest. “So, being so generous, I’ve found a solution. You should be groveling your thanks, but I guess that’s unnecessary. This time.”

  He reached into his own chest, through his skin. Flug tensed. What was he doing? The act didn’t seem to bother the eldritch at all, he almost looked bored by sticking his hand into his chest cavity. Teal slime dripped from the hole and when Black Hat pulled his hand out, also covered in the same slime, the hole healed itself instantly. In his hand was a black stone. It was…eerie, reflecting no light and looking wrong against the color of the world around it.

  “Being human, you likely have no idea just what honor you’re being given, but I guess your ignorance isn’t your fault.” Black Hat went on as he twirled his hands. The stone was suddenly set into a pendent, and with another wave, Flug found it on a chain around his neck. It wasn’t heavy, but it was cold. “Should something ever happen, press your fingers against that stone and call for me.”

  “A-and you’ll…come?” Flug asked, amazed.

  “I will.” Black Hat turned and began heading for the door. “Now come Doctor. We can’t keep Demencia waiting, or else she’ll end up burning down my house.”

  Flug glanced down at the stone. He held the pendent in his hand. It was light, but there was an air about it. It was obviously important, coming from Black Hat himself, and wondered if he was holding some kind of demon organ. His heart? A little gross, but he felt…touched. Protected. His boss was ensuring that something would never happen to him again.

  Smiling, he let the pendant go and ran after Black Hat.


End file.
